Parallel Differences
by Tempest-Of-Luminous-Light
Summary: Storm was the last of her kind, blending in amongst the human population she had come to adore and had spent so long protecting from the shadows. But when a new evil makes itself known, will she have the strength to potentially sacrifice the normal "human" life she has made for herself to uphold her people's legacy and protect those she loves, or will the choice be made for her?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I do not own halo nor Transformers, only my OC.**

 **Before we begin the first chapter of my story, I would like to inform you that this story is a re-write of the formerly known "Parallel Differences", hence as to why it shares the same name. Over time I became dissatisfied with my story and decided to start it over from scratch as there was far too much for me to go back and edit, spell-check, etc.**

 **This story will follow under the same premise as it's predecessor with some added changes and it will follow strict accuracy to the Transformers movies with added stuff invloving the UNSC coming later. It's going to be a lot of work to accumulate fifty-two chapters again, but I'm sure I'll get there eventually and they will be** _ **much**_ **better quality.**

 **Now, for those of you who are new readers of my story and not previous one's whom have followed over, I will be going into detail as to how my OC is related to the Halo universe in the next chapter's author's notes.**

 **If you're still reading this, thanks for sticking around and I hope you enjoy what you read.**

 **(EDIT: pretty much all chapters are under revision/being re-written at the moment so if you find any chapters that look different from the rest further in, I most likely haven't gotten to them yet. Read at your own discretion.)**

* * *

 _Before time began, there was the cube._

 _We know not where it comes from, only that it holds the power to create worlds and fill them with life._

 _That is how our race was born._

 _For a time, we lived in harmony._

 _But like all great power, some wanted it for good, others for evil._

 _And so began the war._

 _A war that ravaged our planet until it was consumed by death and the cube was lost to the far reaches of space._

 _We scattered across the galaxy, hoping to find it and rebuild our home._

 _Searching every star, every world._

 _And just when all hope seemed lost, message of a new discovery drew us to an unknown planet called 'Earth"._

* * *

"Okay, Mr. Witwicky. You're up."

The chestnut-haired boy was shaken from his thoughts by Mr. Hosney's words. He visibly perked up, standing from his desk with haste as he quickly grabbed his backpack from off the back of his chair and rushed to the front of the class, stopping in front of the podium that resided there. _It was finally his turn_.

Sam lifted his backpack onto the desk, un-zipping it before picking it up and turning it upside down, emptying it's contents onto the wooden podium with anxiety and a lack of caution as his classmates stared at him.

He looked up from the items before him, speaking up to the group with an audible tone of nervousness as he tried to prevent his many items from falling off the edges of the podium. "Sorry...I've got a lot of stuff."

"Ok, so" He said, awkwardly laughing off his anxiety. "for my family genea-"

Just as soon as Sam had begun with his report, he was interuppted by what he recognized to be a lone rubber band hitting him directly in the center of his chest, causing the entirety of the classrom to erupt in laughter as a response.

He slowly scanned the room with his eyes, looking to all of his classmates to find the one responsible. They landed on a blonde-headed male, the boy smirking to him with his childhood crush, Mikaela, held close at his side. His expression immediately shifted to one of annoyance. _Of course it had been Trent_. The boy had been a constant thorn in his side, using every opportunity he had to bully him in some fashion and it seemed that Mr. Hosney shared in his annoyance, as well.

The older man stood from his desk behind Sam, pointing to the entirety of the class as he began to reprimand them. "Who did...Who did that? People! _Responsibility_."

Once the class had composed themselves, Mr. Hosney returned to his seat, turning to look at Sam before nodding to him; the physical indication for him to continue on with his report.

"Okay...So, for my family genealogy report." He said. "I decided to do it on my great-great-grandfather, who was a famous man. Captain Archibald Witwicky. Very famous man. In fact, he was one of the first to explore the Arctic Circle."

He paused, grabbing a piece of paper, a map, from off the table before him and un-rolling it to show to the class. "Which is a big deal. In 1987, he took fourty-one brave soldiers into the Arctic Shelf. So that's the story, right?"

He placed the map back on the table, gesturing with both hands to the many items he'd haphazardy poured onto desk only moments ago. "And here, we have some of the basic instruments and tools used by nineteenth century seamen."

A cacophony of low-toned, immature laughter emerged in response to his choice of words causing Sam to roll his eyes in annoyance. In response to this, Mr. Hosney held up a red sign, the word "stop" printed on it's surface in bold, white letters. The laughter subsided immediately.

Sam ignored the embarrassing situation in favor of picking up a piece of nautical equipment, holding it up in the air with his right hand. "This here is the quadrant, which you can get for eighty bucks...It's all for sale, by the way."

He paused momentarily, placing the item back on the table before gesturing to another with his hand. "Like the, uh, sextant here."

Sam had presumed that his words would once again cause snickering laughter and he'd been correct, much to his displeasure. He dropped his arms to his sides in defeat as Mr. Hosney raised his sign once again. This was getting old _quickly_.

Once the room was completely silent and he was sure that he would receive no further interruptions, Sam reached out for an old, cracked pair of spectacles. They were worn with age and abrasion, clearly having struggled to stand up to the tests of time.

"And these... _these_ are my grandfather's glasses. I haven't quiet gotten them appraised yet, but they've seen many cool things." He said with sentimentality.

Though going un-seen by him, Mr. Hosney had rolled his eyes at they boy, speaking up to him with an audible tone disbelief. "Are you going to sell me his _liver_? Mr. Witwicky, this isn't show and sell. It's the eleventh grade. I don't think your grandfather would be particularly proud of what you're doing."

Sam flooded with shame upon hearing the man's words. He didn't want to sell grandfather's possessions given the sheer amount of history and nostalgia behind them, but he needed all the money he could get right now. "I know, I'm sorry...I just, you know, this all going towards my car fund...You can tell your folks. It's on eBay. Cold hard cash works, too. And the compass makes a _great_ gift for Colombus day."

Mr. Hosney once again began to reprimand Sam for his shameless attempts to sell his grandfather's things in the classroom. The boy turned to him, giving him another shame-filled apology before turning his attention back to the class.

The chestnut-haired boy proceeded to grab an ancient, worn-looking newspaper article from the desk along with a paper sporting strange symbols, equally just as worn. "My great-great-grandfather, being the genius that he was, wound up going crazy in a psych ward, drawing _these_ strange symbols while babbling on about some, uh, giant "ice-man" that he thought he'd discovered."

The sound of a ringing bell suddenly resounded throughout the school, a signal to everyone within it that the day was over. The class collectively began to gather their things, wasting no time in making a hasty dash towards the classroom door.

As his peer's passed by him, Sam began to plead with them in a last ditch effort at getting them to buy his grandfather's things. He was all but ignored, left to stand there in silence until Mr. Hosney spoke up, directing Sam's attention to the older man.

He walked over to his desk, coming to stand in front of it with a prideful stance and a smile; his voice taking on this same emotion. "Okay...Pretty good, right?"

Mr. Hosney answered Sam's question bluntly. "Uh...I'd say a solid B-minus."

Sam's expression fell, arms dropping to his sides in disbelief. "...A B-minus?"

Mr. Hosney nodded to Sam in affirmation, responding to his tone of disbelief with seriousness. "You were trying to sell your great grandfather's crap in my classroom."

Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing. No...he couldn't be given a B-minus. He _couldn't_ afford to be. Not when his dream was so close, just within reach of his fingertips. He held up his hands, beginning to argue with the man. "No kids enjoy-"

He paused, leaning onto Mr. Hosney's desk before pointing out of the window beside him with his left hand. "Look, can you do me a favor? Can you look at the window for a second?"

His teacher slowly directed his attention towards the window with one eyebrow raised, obviously confused. Once Sam was sure that he had his teacher's un-divided attention, he began to speak, all the while pointing to a car that was parked just outside on the curb; a portly man seated inside with a petite female clad in all black at his side conversing with him.

"That green car right there?" Sam said. "That's my father and my best friend. Okay?...I want to tell you about a dream. A _boy's_ dream. And a man's promise to that boy. He looked me in the eye and said: Son, I'm going to buy you a car. But I want you to bring me two-thousand dollars and three A's. I've got the two-thousand dollars and I've got two A's."

Sam stood up from his slouched position, placing his hands together with the tips of his fingers just barely touching each other. "Here's the dream. Your B-minus?"

He pulled his hands apart from each other, both of them now a short distance apart. "Poof...Dream gone and a lifetime of embarrassment from my friend."

With no other options, Sam attempted to appeal to Mr. Hosney's sense of morality. He dropped his arms to his sides, not able to believe what he was about to say. He could only pray silently to himself and whatever God might be listening to him that day that it wouldn't fail.

"Sir, just ask yourself...what would Jesus do?"

It seemed this was enough to convince the man. He sighed, grabbing Sam's report card and marking it off with an "A-" in red pen before handing it to the boy. He practically snatched the paper from the man's hands, turning around to the wooden desk behind him and picking up his backpack. He frantically began to shove the items he'd brought into the fabric sack before turning around and darting out of the room.

He weaved through the people crowding the halls as he ran, slinging each door he came across open with reckless abandon until he was outside where he darted across the campus grounds towards his father and friend with un-bridled excitement, shouting happily the entire way until he was at the green vehicle's side.

He slung the passenger side door open and sat down roughly in the seat much to the suprise of the pair near him, his father now looking to his right at him. "So?"

The female at his father's side looked to him as well, a large, mischeivous smile gracing her face. "Yeah, Sam. How'd you do?" She asked. "You didn't lose your composure in front of Mikaela, _did you_?"

The woman's taunting comments earned her a half-lidded glare from her friend, the boy responding to her with thick sarcasm. "Ha, ha, ha...Very funny, _Stormy_. For your information, I got an A-minus. It's still an A, though."

Sam proudly shoved the report card into his father's face much to closely, the proof of his success and his ticket to freedom. He took it from his son's hands, pulling it far enough away from his face for him to read. He roamed over it with eyes, inspecting it throughly as Storm leaned over to do the same. Her friend had told the truth. Sam had gotten an A-minus.

She leaned up from her spot, speaking to him with a clearly exaggerated tone of surprise as she smirked. " _Wow_. You actually did it, Samantha...Color me impressed."

The boy sighed heavily in response to the woman's comments, rolling his eyes at her annoyance. He was very obviously tired of her teasing. Storm, however, was entertained by it; laughing the entire way as she walked around Ron's car and climbed into the backseat.

Sam ignored the woman and her cackling laughter as he turned to his father, speaking up to him with the question he was desperate to hear the answer to. "So I'm good?"

His father nodded to him in affirmation. "Yeah, you're good."

* * *

 **I know, it's a short chapter.**

 **However, I wanted to keep it short seeing as how this is only the first chapter and I want to try and space them out better than I did during my first attempt at this story.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thank you for taking the time to read it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I don't own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **As previously promised, I will be going into my characters relation to the Halo universe (to an extent) as I will be saving the more "in-depth" details for around chapter 6 or 7.**

 **Now, my OC, Tempest, is a Forerunner. I know you all may now be asking "But she's short, the Forerunenr were super tall, not human size". This question has already been presented to me during my previous attempt at this story.**

 **The answer to this is Halo lore itself. The Forerunner were mutated specifically for their respective roles in their society, those of which made them taller depending on the situation. Without this forced mutation/evolution, the Forerunner were close in height to that of humans. Therefore, Tempest would not be tall like say, The Librarian or The Didact, for instance.**

 **She has no need to forcefully mutate herself given that the Forerunner, as a society, no longer exist nor is she held to those same societal traditions and customs seeing as how she's essentially the only Forerunner left in existence.**

 **More will be explained later on as I've stated, mostly having to do with how Tempest is the only Forerunner alive and how she appears to be "human" though this will only be for new readers. Those who frequented my previous attempt at this story and have followed it to this point already know how this is possible.**

 **Don't worry though, all your questions will be answered and if there's any you may still have, I will answer them whenever I upload another chapter via it's author's notes so that way everyone else could potentially have the same questions answered.**

* * *

The atmosphere in Ron's car was thick with excitement despite the permeating silence and though her sight of Sam was for the most part obscured due to his seat, Storm could easily see that the chestnut-haired boy was rife with anticipation; fidgeting in his spot.

She chuckled to herself lowly, understanding of her friend's excitement. This was something that was important to Sam, a significant milestone in every young person's life. It was one she knew he'd been waiting on for a very, _very_ long time.

She couldn't miss how Sam's excitement furthered once Ron pulled into a Porsche dealership. The boy began to move wildly in his seat. It'd always been his dream to own a Porsche though Storm couldn't understand why. She'd never been interested in the newer, sleeker in appearance vehicles that Sam was. Older, vintage vehicles were _far_ more appealing to her.

"I got a surprise for you, Sam." Ron said, a tone of mischief hidden in his voice that Sam didn't pick up on. However, Storm had. _Ron was up to something_.

Sam's formerly wild movements were now frantic as he shouted out with the same excitement his body language currently displayed. "No...No, no, no, no! Dad! Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"

"Yeah, I am. You're not getting a Porsche." Ron said, amusement lacing his voice.

Sam instantly deflated in his seat, his former sense of excitement all but gone. He glared over at his father and neither Ron nor Storm could hold back their laughter. The look on Sam's face was _priceless_.

"You think this funny?" Sam asked, his voice betraying his current anger.

Ron briefly glanced over at Sam with a smirk plastered on his face. He was very obviously amused with his prank on the boy. "Yeah, I think it's funny. You really think I'd get you a Porsche? For your first car?"

Sam was having _none_ of it. He sank into his seat, turning his gaze away from his father as he crossed his arms over his chest childishly. "I don't want to talk to you after this whole thing is over."

Ron lightly elbowed Sam in the side. "Oh, come on. It's just a joke."

"It's a stupid joke..." Sam said lowly.

Suddenly, a snort of muffled laughter emerged from the backseat. Sam turned around slowly, eyes locking onto Storm. Her hands were covering her mouth in the desperate attempts to stifle her laughter that was trying to resurface and his eyebrows knitted together in anger as he glared at her. He was _thoroughly_ fed up with both Storm and his father.

"You enjoy my misery, don't you, Stormy?" He asked, annoyance resonating heavily in his voice.

Storm was un-able to hold it in any longer. She bellowed out in laughter as Ron pulled in to an adjacent car dealership, only stopping once they had parked. She inhaled deep to replace her lost oxygen as everyone exited the vehicle, following behind Sam.

She watched the boy as he began to look around with an expression of disbelief, stopping once his gaze landed on his father. "Here?...No, no, no, what is this? You said- you said half a car, not half a piece of crap, Dad."

Ron shrugged his shoulders dismissively. "When I was your age, I'd have been happy with four wheels and an engine."

Ron began to walk away and Sam followed after him, coming to a stop beside the man as he examined the car before him. Sam couldn't hide his expression. The car was beat up and rusted. _All of the car's on the lot were_.

"Okay" Sam said. "You ever see 40-year-old-virgin?"

Ron turned to face Sam with one eyebrow raised as he continued to speak, the boy's movie reference drawing his attention. "Okay, that's what this is-"

"And this is 50-year-old-virgin." Sam said as he gestured to another car.

Storm had turned to separate herself from the pair, a short distance away when she heard Sam's comments. She turned around to see the car's that Sam was referencing and snorted to herself loudly in amusement.

The boy couldn't help but hear Storm's loud outburst. He turned to face her direction, shooting her a second death-glare for that day. You know that saying if looks could kill? Well, she would have already dropped dead. She simply smirked in response to the chestnut-haired boy's glaring and he gave up, turning back around to his father in defeat.

"You want me to live that life, Dad?" Sam asked.

Ron's expression shifted to one of seriousness. "No sacrifice-"

"No victory" Sam said with a roll of his eyes. "You know, I got it...The old Witwicky motto."

The portly man smiled in response, grabbing Sam lightly by his shoulders and shaking them lightly in affirmation. It was obvious that Sam that was quickly becoming embarrassed by the display, one he was thankful Storm hadn't witnessed in her examination of the car's around her.

She was walking around the lot with curiosity though so far none of these car's had piqued her interest...that was when she came upon something that finally drew her attention. It was a Camaro, old and faded-yellow from lack of proper maintenance. It was gorgeous despite it's current state. Almost _too_ gorgeous considering their location and surroundings.

Storm turned around, looking for Sam and when she spotted Sam, raised her arm to wave him over. "Hey, Sam! Come look at this one!"

The boy made his way over to where Storm was standing upon hearing her call with his father in tow and judging by the look on his face when his eyes made contact with the faded-yellow Camaro, he felt just as Storm did. This car was _beautiful_. A diamond in the rough.

"Wow." Sam said as his eyes roamed over the vehicle's exterior. "This one is really nice."

Storm smiled widely upon hearing her friend's approval. Though she knew that it wasn't in his nature to gravitate towards car's of the aesthetic, she was glad that it had caught his interest. After all, it was in _far better_ shape than any of the other vehicles around them by comparison.

As Sam walked around the car to examine it, she ran her hand down the hood of the Camaro absent-mindedly, reeling her hand back in surprise when she felt an electric shock course up her arm and into her chest. The sensation...it didn't feel at all like a simple shock. It felt...different. _Alien_.

She stared down at her hand with suspicion for a few moments before directing her attention back towards the vehicle in front of her. Her skin was tingling, the fine hair's on her arms standing on end due to the strange sensation that had invaded her body.

"Welcome, gentleman and lady." A voice said from behind her, breaking Storm from her thoughts.

She turned around to face the voice and was met with a dark-skinned man wearing a yellow, floral shirt holding out his hand to her in greeting. "The name's Bobby Bolivia, like the country, except without the runs."

Despite his revolting comment, Storm politely took his hand, shaking it lightly as she introduced herself. "Storm. Are you the owner of this business?"

The man smiled widely, nodding to her in agreement. "The one and only. How can I help you?"

Ron took Sam by the shoulder, pulling him alongside him as as he walked towards the salesman. "Well, my son here is looking to buy his first car."

"...And you came to see me?" Bolivia asked with a tone disbelief.

Sam looked down at his feet, obviously still bitter over his father's earlier joke. "I had to..."

The man smiled widely from ear to ear once again, holding his arms out at his sides. "That practically makes us family. Uncle Bobby B, baby. Uncle Bobby B."

Bolivia threw his arm over Sam's shoulders in a friendly gesture, pointing around to various cars as he spoke. "Let me talk to you, Sam. Your first enchilada of freedom awaits underneath one of these hoods. Now, let me tell you something, son...A driver don't pick the car. The car will pick the driver. It's a mystical bond between man and machine."

"Son, I'm a lot of things, but a liar's not one of them." The man continued.

Bolivia removed his arm from over Sam's shoulder to wave across the street where two older women were sitting in chairs, his voice booming and boisterous as he yelled. "Especially not in front of my Mammy. Hey, Mammy!"

The man's wave and greeting weren't reciprocated, however. Instead, he received a gesture which Storm recognized all too well. _A middle finger_. She couldn't resist bursting out in laughter at the sight. Age had done nothing to reduce the woman's spirit, it seemed.

"Oh, don't be like that...If I had a rock, I'd bust your head in, bitch." Bolivia mumbled under his breath.

Storm's laughter immediately subsided upon hearing what the man had whispered. His threat and insult towards his own family member set her blood on her fire. She scowled pointedly at the man and it seemed he sensed her stare, a look of knowing crossing his face as he met her scrutinizing gaze. She had heard him.

Bolivia quickly attempted to brush off the rising tension and what he'd said altogether by continuing his conversation with Sam. all the while avoiding Storm's judgemental stare as she followed Sam back towards the faded-yellow Camaro that she'd had brought to his attention earlier.

He opened the driver's side door and sat down, inspecting the surprisingly immaculate interior. "This one ain't bad...It's got racing stripes."

Storm leaned down to look inside the still open door of the Camaro as Bolivia inspected the exterior with visible confusion, this same emotion heard in his voice as he spoke. "Well, uh...considering the semi-classic nature of this vehicle, with he slick wheels and custom paint job-"

"The paint's _faded_." Storm said, quickly cutting the man off.

Bolivia nervously stuttered out a response. "Y-yeah...but it's custom."

Sam raised his gaze from the steering wheel to look at Bolivia from inside the car, speaking to him from within the Camaro in unison with Storm. "It's custom _faded_?"

"Well, this is your first car. I wouldn't expect you to understand." Bolivia said.

The vehicle salesman turned around to find Ron who had departed from the trio to paruse the available cars and once he'd spotted him, raised his hand to him with all of his digits extended. "Five grand!"

The portly man shook his head in disagreement. "No, I'm not paying over four. Sorry."

Bolivia turned back around to face Sam, gesturing to him with a hand. "Come on, kid. Get out of the car."

"No, no, no." Sam began to argue. "You said cars pick their drivers."

Bolivia rolled his eyes, throwing his head back in annoyance. "Well, sometimes they pick a driver with a cheap-ass father.. _.Out of the car_."

Storm watched as Sam did as he was told, biting her tongue to resist acting on her anger. Disappointment was etched heavily into Sam's features as he walked away from her, taking one last glance at her. She hadn't moved an inch from her spot at the Camaro's side, door still open from where he'd exited to follow after Bolivia and his father.

He could easily see by his friend's body language that she was on the verge of exploding with anger, a look he knew all too well. However, he could see that she was resisting the urge, not wanting to ruin his only chance at getting a car due to her inability to control her own emotions.

She watched on as Sam walked away from her towards his father, waiting until he was at the portly man's side before she turned around and got into the Camaro via it's still open driver's side door. She shut the door behind her with a loud thud, resting her hands on the steering wheel as she tried to ease her anger.

She sat there for several moments, quiet and motionless before she began to inspect the interior of the Camaro with great detail. Unlike the outside, the inside of the vehicle was pristine. Whoever had previously owned it had spared no expense in the interior's upkeep which was strange considering the state of it's exterior.

She continued to roam over the interior with her eyes, snickering to herself when her gaze landed on a bumblebee air freshener that was hanging from the rear-view mirror. "Bee-otch" was printed on the bottom in bold, black letters; a rather cute pun that served to lighten her mood, even if only slightly.

As she sat there, she listened intently to Bolivia and the conversation he was having with himself as neither Sam nor Ron appeared to be listening to him, both seemingly un-interested in what the man had to say.

She couldn't help but feel sorry for Sam as it was easy to tell that the boy wasn't interested in any of the cars Bolivia was showing him and it seemed that Ron had noticed this as well, nudging the boy in the ribs to draw his attention before gesturing to a car on the opposite side of them.

"There's a Fiesta with racing stripes over there." Ron said.

Sam looked over at the vehicle, inspecting it carefully before glancing back momentarily to the vehicle his friend was seated in longingly. He didn't want the Fiesta...He wanted the Camaro Storm was sitting in.

Despite his current emotions, the sight of Storm caused him to laugh. His friend appeared to not be angry anymore. In fact, she appeared to be enjoying herself, pretending to be what he assumed was a race car driver given the way she was leaning left and right with much exaggeration whilst turning the steering wheel hard.

He turned his attention back towards Bolivia when the man spoke, watching as the man proceeded to open the hood of a rusted, red vehicle to show the pair. "This is a classic engine right here. I sold a car the other day that-"

The vehicle salesman was suddenly interrupted by a loud, clanging noise. The group of three began looking around, searching for the source of the sound. Their eyes collectively landed on the Camaro across the lot. It's passenger side door was now open, having hit the car to the right of it; effectively putting a large dent in it's side.

It seemed that Storm felt just as they did. She was looking over at the door with suspicion, not knowing how it had opened seemingly of it's own volition. She slowly raised her head, meeting Sam's questioning gaze. He was wearing the same expression as her. _Confusion_.

Sam and Ron remained in their spots as Bolivia began walking towards Storm and the Camaro to assess the damage of the newly dented vehicle to her right. The salesman attempted to laugh off the situation, shutting the passenger side door of the Camaro before he turned his back to her- yelling towards the distance where a man reading a newspaper could be seen sitting inside of a building.

"Hey, Manny! Get your clown cousin and get some hammers! Come bang this stuff out, baby!"

Storm, however, did not share in the man's light-hearted mood and banter. She was staring down at the steering wheel with narrowed eyes. Something was going on here, and she doubted it was an elaborate plan of Sam's to get back at her for reveling in his earlier disappointment over not getting a Porsche.

She reached for the handle of the driver's side door, preparing to make her exit from the seemingly possessed vehicle when she began to feel a strange sensation blanket the air around her. She sucked in a sharp breath in response...It felt as if the area around her had become electrically charged.

She slowly turned around when the Camaro's radio roared to life and began switching quickly through stations of it's own volition. She was beginning to come un-glued over the seemingly paranormal instances. Storm had never been one to believe in ghosts but this...this was changing her mind.

However, she gathered her bearings, reaching for the radio to turn it off. That's when she began to hear an abnormal, high-pitched static coming from the radio that stopped her in her tracks; her hand hovering just above the shut-off knob.

" **Greater than man...** "

Her eyes went wide in response to the broken voice that had came through the radio, un-able to process what had just happened. Was this...was the car speaking to her? _No_. Cars didn't possess the ability to speak...unless this wasn't a car, at all.

" **Go...** "

She felt it before she heard it, the fine hair's on her body standing on end; her skin feeling like it was crawling. She couldn't ignore the ever growing sensation she felt in the very core of her being. Something wasn't right. In fact, something was very, _very wrong_.

She slung her head up from where her gaze had been glued to the radio to find Sam and Ron as she gripped the steering wheel tight, her knuckles turning a pale white as she yelled out to draw the pair's attention but to no avail. She didn't get the chance to warn them of her perceived impending danger.

She hastily shielded her ears with her hands, shutting her eyes tightly as a piercing sound resounded throughout the lot, shattering the windows of all vehicles within the vicinity of it's source. _The Camaro_.

It felt like an eternity before the aggressive noise finally stopped. Storm's head was _pounding_ as she slowly opened her eyes, raising it from where it was tucked between her knees. Her vision was swimming terribly, her equilibrium shattered.

Her gaze locked onto Sam and Ron in the distance. They were nothing more than a blurred mass to her in the vague shape she recognized as them. Despite this, she could faintly see shards off glass dropping off their bodies, reflecting light as they fell to the ground. She dropped her aching head into her hands, breathing out a sigh of relief that she herself couldn't hear due to the loud ringing in her ears and the frantic beating of her own heart. _They were safe_.

She was startled moments later by the vibrations of the driver's side door to the Camaro being opened and a hand frantically shaking her shoulder. She quickly raised her head to face the hand's owner, much to the displeasure of her aching head; coming face to face with a visibly concerned Sam.

"Are you okay, Stormy?" He asked with audible concern.

Though muffled, Storm could still understand what the chestnut-haired boy had said. She nodded to him in reassurance. "Yeah, Sammy...I'm alright. Just a little shaken up."

The boy offered her a hand, easily able to see her dizziness and she took it graciously, thankful for the added stability as she made her exit from the Camaro. She gently brushed off the glass that was clinging to her once standing and Sam inspected her for harm. She appeared un-injured, thankfully enough; not a single cut marring her porcelain skin.

As Sam aided Storm, Ron carefully shook the remaining glass off his clothes before hurriedly walking over towards a visibly scared Bolivia that was laying on the ground. He was shaking, not having moved an inch from where he'd fallen in the panic.

"You alright?" Ron asked him, holding out his hand to the man for help off the ground.

Bolivia raised his head to meet Ron's gaze, eyes wide as he took his hand. Once standing, the salesman began looking around his dealership nervously, trying to find the source of the ear piercing noise that had shattered the windows of the vehicles around him.

His eyes locked onto the Camaro at the opposite end of the lot. There were no doubts in his mind now that the vintage vehicle was possessed and he wanted it as _far_ away from him and his business as possible.

"Four thousand!" Bolivia shouted at Sam with audible fear.

Sam's face lit up with excitement as Storm glanced back over her shoulder towards the faded Camaro. There was something more to this car than what could be seen on the surface. She couldn't place her finger on exactly what it was, but she was going to make it her mission to find out.

* * *

 **Yay, another chapter re-written!**

 **I'll most likely start working on re-writing the next chapter tommorow. For now, however, I'm going to binge play some Far Cry 5 and Destiny 2.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Just a heads up, there wil be certain days in July that I will not be uploading. The following are the 4th, 5th, 7th, and the 14th unless my plans change.**

 **Other than that, I would like to get into the description of my character's appearence. Tempest is around 5"4, 125lbs, and she has fairly lengthy black hair which she prefers to keep in a bun as if she didn't, it would drape down to her mid-thigh. Most of you may argue that the Forerunner do not possess hair as humans do, but that's not true. In Halo lore it is said that as the Forerunner progress with their mutation process, they lose most of their hair over time. Also, given that Tempest is un-mutated, she would retain most of her natural traits she was "born" with.**

 **As I already explained in the previous chapter's author's notes, Halo lore stated that the Forerunner were very close in appearence to that of humans in their un-mutated state with Forerunner female's being closer in appearence to humans than the male's of their respective species.**

 **Now, this is where we detail her Forerunner appearence which she currently has cloaked. (This will be elaborated on more later. I don't want to give away too many plot details yet to those of you who are new readers.)**

 **Tempest has almost all of the physical traits of her species. Those of which being grey-ish skin, a lack of a pronounced nose and ears along with five fingers on each hand as the Librarian did which would have been abnormal in Forerunner society. Tempest also has elongated canines which is abnormal for her species. (This was my personal decision to make her seem more alien to those around her as the Foreunner have flat teeth much like we do.)**

 **I hope that my minor description allows you to better visualize Tempest.**

 **Now, it's time to get into the story.**

* * *

Storm was lost her thoughts, attempting to wrap her head around the day's earlier events at Bolivia's dealership as she silently read her book. She'd still yet to come to a logical conclusion other than the obvious. That Sam's car was more than just that, _a car_.

She knew one thing for certain, however. If she wished to unravel this mystery, she couldn't let on that she was wary nor suspecting. I could make her vulnerable. Even worse, _it could make Sam vulnerable_. And that was a risk she was willing to take no matter the circumstances.

Suddenly, Storm's cellphone began to vibrate, effectively startling her from her thoughts with a jump. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she realized that it was only her cellphone. She was far too paranoid and on edge right now.

She dog-eared the page of her book before closing it and setting it off to her side, picking up her cellphone and placing it up to her ear; speaking into it happily. "Hey, Sammy. What's up?"

"Hey, Stormy. I was wondering if you'd want to go with me to the lake? There's a party happening." Sam said.

Storm contemplated the idea silently. She had never been fond of situations that would place her around large groups of people. However, this would prove the perfect opportunity for her to gather reconnaissance on whatever was masquerading as Sam's Camaro. She'd just have to make sure to stay composed.

"Sure, Sammy. When are you leaving?" Storm asked.

As Sam responded to her question, she heard the sound of his front door closing. "Right now."

"Alright, Sammy. I'll see you in a few minutes." Storm said.

She hung up the phone as she stood from her place, making her way over towards the table beside her front door. She placed her cellphone on it's wooden surface before grabbing the handle to her front door and opening it; making her exit from her home and over towards Sam's.

She made her way up the sidewalk leisurely pace, taking in the gentle breeze as she crossed the threshold into Sam's yard. He was waiting outside for her, leaned against the driver's side door of his Camaro. She smiled at him to keep up her façade, pretending to be completely ignorant and un-aware to the fact that she already knew his vehicle wasn't at all what appeared to be upon first glance.

"I'm ready if you are, Sammy." Storm said as she approached the passenger side of his Camaro.

She opened the door, inviting herself into the vehicle without hesitation as Sam sat down in the driver's seat beside her. She looked over at him as she engaged her seatbelt and raised an eyebrow. Sam seemed tense and filled with anticipation. For what reason, she didn't know.

She said nothing of it, however, turning her attention ahead of her as Sam pulled out of his driveway; blanketing his yard in a cloud of thick, black smoke. Storm couldn't help but laugh as she looked out the back windshield, watching as Sam's home faded from view. _Judy was going to be furious_.

Storm rolled down her window as Sam drove in silence, closing her eyes as she relished in the sensation of the heated, summer air pelting her face. Now she understood why dog's enjoyed sticking their head's out of the window on car rides so much. It was calming.

"You sure you'll be alright around so many people? I know large crowds makes you un-comfortable but I didn't want to leave you behind without at least asking." Sam said.

Storm shrugged her shoulders. "As long as they don't all surround me at once, I'll be fine. Plus, you know I like music and a party _always_ equals music."

Sam laughed as he pulled onto a dirt road. He followed it to the end and parked on a hill beside the lake. Storm narrowed her eyes. She had expected for there to be a lot of people here, but this was something else entirely. The lake was full to capacity. Not a single area was without human presence.

"Uh, Sam?...Were we invited to this party?" Storm asked with suspicion.

Her friend shrugged off her question. "Of course. It's a lake. Public property."

Storm sighed heavily as she opened the passenger side door, making her exit from the Camaro in unison with Sam. That would be a no, they _weren't_ invited to this party. She came over to stand at his side, watching as scanned the landscape with his eyes; stopping once they landed on the person he'd been hoping to see. _Mikaela_.

She chuckled to herself. Now she understood why Sam had seemed filled with anticipation on their ride to the lake. It's because he had known that Mikaela would be here. Her friend wanted to impress his long-time crush with his new car.

She walked around the Camaro as Sam continued to stare, laying down carefully on the hood of the faded-yellow vehicle. She raised her arms and placed them behind her head to act as a makeshift pillow, leaning back against the windshield of her friend's car.

To others, it would appear as if she was relaxing and enjoying the evening sun. However, this wasn't the case. As she lay there, eyes closed, she attempted to tune out everything around her. All sound, all movement. Solely focusing on the vehicle beneath her.

Slowly, she began to feel an electric sensation similar to that of what she'd felt hours earlier. This time, however, instead of the aggressive hum of energy that had coursed through her body, it was faint; pulsating in time with her own heartbeat. This confirmed her earlier suspicions. This Camaro was no ordinary vehicle at all. It was something else entirely... _something alive_. How had this went un-noticed by her?

Storm sat up from her laying position just in time to see a blonde-headed male wearing a backwards facing baseball cap push Sam. The chestnut-haired boy let out a pained grunt and an angry sneer plastered itself on her face- a low clicking sound emanating from the back of her throat. One that was decibels too low for human ears to pick up on.

She was furious. Storm wanted nothing more than to walk over and punch the smug expression of Trent's face for what he'd just done to Sam. But she couldn't. This wasn't her fight nor would the situation justify her harming a human. She could only watch helplessly as the situation began to escalate; Mikaela quickly intervening with a firm hand on Trent's chest.

"Okay, okay...you know what? Stop." The onyx-haired female said with seriousness.

After much persuasion from Mikaela, Trent reluctantly backed down from the fight, taking the female and his entourage that had gathered around him during the argument along with him, much to Storm's relief.

She remained in her spot on the hood of the Camaro, watching with narrowed eyes as a heater argument un-folded between Mikaela and Trent. A pang of concern began building in her chest as she watched the girl walk away angrily, no obvious destination nor a way to get home and it seemed that the thought had registered with Sam, as well. _This was his chance_.

As if the Camro had read Sam's mind, it's radio started up of it's own volition, playing a song that referenced to driving a girl home. Storm found it amusing, wishing to laugh but she refrained from doing so. She wouldn't give herself away unless the situation deemed it necessary. Instead, Storm opted to remark over the situation with a tone of joking. "I think you're car is possessed, Sam."

"...I'm going to drive her home tonight." Sam said with confidence.

Storm kept her gaze trained forwards where she'd seen Mikaela disappear to, shrugging her shoulders with indifference. "Whatever you want to do, Sammy."

She stood from her spot, walking around the Camaro to it's passenger side. She opened the door, sliding the front seat forwards and climbing into the back of the yellow vehicle. In the event Sam decided to follow through with his plan to chase after Mikaela, she would need somewhere to sit and space was limited.

Not long after, Sam entered the vehicle. It seemed he had made his decision. He inserted his keys into the ignition, wasting no time in pressing on the gas; all the while praying silently that Mikaela was still somewhere down the road.

The chestnut-haired boy scanned the sides of the road as he drove, eventually spotting Mikaela only a few feet ahead of him. She hadn't made it far. He matched the distance and slowly pulled up beside her, foot pressed lightly on the gas to keep up with her walking pace.

Sam leaned over towards the passenger seat and rolled down the window, calling out to the woman just outside the car. "Hey, Mikaela!"

The onyx-haired female either didn't hear Sam or she was ignoring him. Storm assumed it was the latter, watching as her friend continued to try and get Mikaela's attention with desperation. "I hope I didn't get you stranded or anything...So, listen...I was wondering if I could ride you home? I mean- give you a ride home, to your house."

Storm buried her face into the leather seating, un-able to hold back her choked-up laughter in response to Sam's question. She began beating her fist into the seating of the Camaro in an effort to not belt out in violent laughter. It was just barely working, the only thing she could do in that moment to stifle her emotions.

Sam wasn't so amused, however, and his face said it all. The only thing he could do was pray silently that Mikaela couldn't hear Storm's outburst nor how she sounded like a dying T-Rex in the backseat.

He ignored his friend and her strangled noises as he opened the passenger door for Mikaela from the inside. The onyx-haired female stared down at him in contemplation for several moments before taking him up on his offer, sitting down in the Camaro with an audible sigh.

As Mikaela sat down, Sam glanced into the rear-view mirror. Storm was laying down, completely motionless aside from the rise and fall of her chest that indicated her breathing. It seemed she had finally gained her composure after his embarrassing slip-up, thankful that she had finally ceased her muffled screaming.

Sam turned his attention ahead of him as he put the Camaro into gear, setting off towards Mikaela's home. Everything was silent as he drove. _Un-comfortably silent_. He glanced at Mikaela from the corner of his eye. Her shoulders were slumped and she was staring at the floorboard absent-mindedly.

He cleared his throat to break the thick silence, speaking up to Mikaela with a question. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just...I can't believe I'm here right now." The onyx-haired female said, hurt resonating in her voice.

Sam's shoulders dropped. "You can duck down if you want...I mean, it won't hurt my feelings."

Mikaela's eyes went wide as she stuttered. "Oh, no, no, no. I didn't mean- I didn't mean here with you. I just meant _here_...in this same situation I'm always in. Because, I don't know, I guess I just have a weakness for hot guys. For tight abs and really big arms."

"Big arms, huh?" Sam said lowly with intrigue.

Storm hadn't missed the tone of Sam's murmurred question. Her friend was contemplating something and whatever it was that he was about to do, she knew it was going to hilarious. She watched Sam as he flexed his arm in an awkward, forced manner, un-able to hide her snickering as he began pointing to various decorative items in the vehicle.

"Well, uh...there's a couple of new additions in the car. I just put in that light there. And that disco ball. So the the light reflects off the disco ball." Sam said with audible strain.

Her snickering progressed into snorts of laughter as she listened to her friend's ridiculous attempts at impressing his crush, the only response he received from Mikaela being a raised eyebrow. It seemed she had recognized Sam's blatantly obvious attempts to show off his "muscles" and judging by her current expression, his attempts were failing. _Hard_.

Suddenly, the Camaro gained a life of it's own, romantic-themed music blasting from it's radio as it's engine sputtered loudly. It drove itself over to a cliff despite Sam's efforts to regain control, turning the key repeatedly in it's ignition but to no avail. His car simply wouldn't respond.

Sam turned to Mikaela with a dumbstruck expression, frantically trying to explain away the strange behavior of his Camaro. "The radio is, like, you know- it's an old radio, so- look...This isn't something that I- I wouldn't try this on you. You know? Because this is like a romantic thing that I'm _not_ trying to do."

Mikaela simply hummed in annoyance with Sam's stuttering, pulling her hair back into a ponytail with a hair-tie that was around her wrist. It was obvious that the onyx-haired female didn't believe a word of what Sam was saying.

Storm watched silently as the woman exited the Camaro, deep in thought as Sam continued to flounder over his words. Whatever this car truly was, it was sentient; that much could be deduced from this situation. This _thing_ seemed to have an understanding of romance.

She sat back in her seat as Sam followed after Mikaela, her sight of the pair soon being obscured by the onyx-haired female raising the hood of the faded-yellow vehicle to inspect it's inner workings. Should she get out and help? No...she needed to gather information. In the event whatever was masquerading as Sam's car wasn't friendly, she would need everything she could get; no matter how small and seemingly insignificant it was.

She didn't know how long she'd been lost to her thoughts, but it was long enough for Sam to anger Mikaela, causing her to leave on foot. She watched as Sam hurriedly slammed the hood of the Camaro before rushing into the open driver's seat, trying to start the vehicle so he could mend the situation that he'd caused. As hard as Sam tried, however, the Camaro wouldn't start.

"No, no, no, no, no. Come on, please. You've got to work for me now...Don't let her walk away." Sam pleaded under his breath.

He repeated those words like a mantra as he gave the ignition one last turn...The Camaro finally started. He sat up straight with haste, turning the vehicle around wildly on it's axis to chase after his crush. He called out to her for her to wait as he pulled the car over to her side, opening the passenger door for her from the inside once again that day.

Mikaela was very visibly weighing her options as she stared down into the car at Sam, deciding the awkward tension was better than walking for hours to get home. She got back into the car with a heavy sigh, securing her seatbelt over her without uttering a single word.

The ride from that point on was deathly silent, the air filled with un-deniable tension that even made Storm feel un-comfortable as they weaved through city traffic. She looked between Sam and Mikaela, shooting them a mischievous smirk that went un-seen by the pair as they pulled into the onyx-haired female's driveway. _They should just kiss already and get it over with_.

Once parked, Sam turned to Mikaela and the girl shyly averted her gaze to her feet, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I had fun. So, you know...thanks for listening."

Sam nodded in response to Mikaela's words. "Oh, yeah, yeah."

"Do you...do you think I'm shallow?" Mikaela asked hesitantly.

The female's question had caught him off guard. He shook his head from side to side, vehemently denying her question with physical actions. "Do I think you're?...No, no, no. I think there's a lot more than meets the eye...with you."

A large smile spread itself across Mikaela's face, very obviously satisfied with Sam's response. She grabbed her purse out off the floor from between her feet before opening the passenger side door and exiting from his car; walking away towards her home.

Sam waited until his crush was out of sight and could no longer see him before he began scolding himself in hushed whispers for his blunders throughout the day; banging his head lightly against the steering wheel in embarrassment. If he'd ever had a chance with Mikaela, it was _long gone_ now.

"So, uh...ride you home, huh?" Storm asked from the backseat, the smirk audible in her voice.

Sam groaned out in annoyance as he slowly raised his head from the steering wheel, turning to glare out his friend. "I swear, Stormy. I will kick you out _right here_ and make you walk home. _No hesitation_."

Storm narrowed her eyes at Sam challengingly. "Try all you want, Sam, but you and I both know you can't get rid of me _that_ easily."

Sam knew he wouldn't win this situation, not when Storm's competitive nature was involved. He turned around with a heavy sigh, starting up his Camaro and backing out of Mikaela's driveway. He was tired and ready to go home.

That was when he was suddenly hit in the back of the head by a small, crumpled piece of paper that Storm had found and chucked at him from the backseat; her cackling laughter following after the hit.

He had no idea where Storm had found the piece of paper, but he was ready to drop the female off so that she'd be out of his hair and it seemed that she shared the same idea, shouting out a joking command to the chestnut-haired boy from where she was now laying down in the backseat.

"Take me home, Sammy!"

* * *

 **Whew, another chapter done.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **I would just like to let everyone know that I don't upload on the weekends as I try to reserve them for myself so that way I don't get overworked or feel burnt out by writing.**

 **I would also like to say that if any of you who read my story would like to send in ideas for chapters, they are more than welcomed. I would like to continue this story all the way through to The Last Knight though if I do this, I will most likely need help. I'm unfortunately not an endless well of ideas.**

 **Now, with that out of the way, let's get into the story.**

* * *

The deafening noise of Storm's alarm clock startled her from her deep sleep, assaulting her sensitive ears. She sat up with a displeased groan, rubbing the sleep lazily from her eyes before reluctantly standing from the comfortable embrace of her bed to silence the annoying contraption.

She slapped her hand down on it's plastic surface, breathing out a sigh of relief once the incessant noise had ceased before walking over towards her bathroom in order to start her morning routine. First on her list: brushing her tangled hair.

She grabbed her hairbrush from off her bathroom counter, leaning over to one side; allowing her hair to drape down over her left shoulder. She brushed it thoroughly until her hairbrush went through without catching on any tangles before she grabbed a hair tie out of a drawer, placing all of her hair into a neat bun.

After brushing her teeth, Storm exited from her bathroom, walking over to her bedside table where her cellphone currently rested. She picked it up from off it's surface and pressed the button on it's side, bringing the electronic device out of sleep mode.

He heart immediately sunk into her stomach with panic. She had twenty-seven missed calls, fourteen voicemails, and one text. She quickly opened the text and briefly skimmed over it's contents. It was from Ron...Sam had gotten himself arrested not long after he'd dropped her off at her house yesterday.

She placed her phone back in it's former place on her bedside table before hastily making her way downstairs **.** She flung open her front door, shutting it quickly behind her as she made her way towards Sam's home to check on him.

Once she had made it into Sam's yard, she scanned the area with her eyes. Ron, Judy, and Sam's car's were all missing from their respective spots in the garage and driveway. It was well into the afternoon so someone should be home...shouldn't they?

She prayed silently as she approached the door to her friend's home that someone, anyone was home. As she opened the front door, she called out for Sam, looking around for any trace of the chestnut-haired boy in the home.

That was when he peaked out from around the door of his refrigerator, Storm's eyes locking onto him immediately. He appeared exhausted, heavy, dark bags underneath his eyes and his posture slouched; a jug of orange juice gripped tightly in his hand as she made her way towards him.

"What happened last night, Sam? I just woke up to my phone half blown up by Ron saying that you'd been arrested!" Storm said.

Sam answered her blankly, his tone void of emotion. "Someone stole my car last night."

Storm couldn't hide her suspicion upon hearing this, the emotion etching itself into her features. "How did someone manage to steal your car?...I mean, you've barely had it for two days, _Sam_."

The boy didn't answer her question. Instead, he opted to take a sip from his jug of orange juice, causing Storm to narrow her eyes at him. Sam was pale and acting un-deniably strange, not at all like his usual self. _He looked like he'd seen a ghost_.

She looked him up and down, assessing his body language to try and get a close as to what was going on that her friend was very clearly refusing to tell her. His muscles were tense despite his current expression being calm and indifferent.

"So...you want to tell me the truth, Sam? Because I know you're not telling me everything." She said with knowing.

The chestnut-haired boy sighed heavily. He should have known that he couldn't fool Storm. He opened his mouth to respond to her but before he could, a loud and familiar reverberating sound was heard outside. Storm looked out of the window above Sam's kitchen sink in unison with her friend, her eyebrows knitting together with confusion...It was Sam's car that he'd claimed had been stolen the night pulling to a stop in his driveway.

Sam's eyes went wide and he dropped his jug of orange juice before running to Storm's side, yanking her down with him by her arm to hide from the car that he was repeatedly addressing as "Satan's Camaro".

Storm's brain immediately went into overdrive. Just before Sam had pulled her down with him to hide, she'd gotten a brief glance into his car. The driver's seat was empty...his Camaro was seemingly driving itself. This was bad. _Very bad_. Whatever this thing was, it had them cornered with no means of escape. _They were trapped_.

Suddenly, Storm began to hear the low sounds of a dial tone coming from her side. She turned to face the sound and was met with the sight of Sam on his cellphone. As to who he was calling, she didn't know. However, she assumed it to be the police.

"Sam! What the hell are you doing?!" She whispered angrily through her teeth. "If you're calling the police right now then I wouldn't suggest it given your arrest last night!"

Sam didn't reply, ignoring her in favor of speaking frantically into the phone to whom she now knew was Miles. While her friend continued to panic, Storm slowly stood from her place, doing so just enough for her to peak over the kitchen counter and look out the window. Sam's Camaro was still there, it's engine still running...It was almost as if it was waiting for something.

As she watched the Camaro silently, Sam began to whisper loudly causing Storm to scowl. _He was going to blow their cover_. She turned to face him, slapping the phone out of his hands. It hit the tile hard, bouncing away to the other side of the kitchen out of Sam's reach.

"Stop it, Sam! Miles can't help us right now!" She whispered with audible annoyance.

Her actions only served to make the situation worse. Sam began to hyperventilate as he frantically scanned the expanse of his kitchen for something to defend himself with. Finding nothing plausible, Sam cracked under the pressure, standing up before rushing off towards the front door of his home.

He threw it open with reckless abandon, rushing out of his home as he yelled out with fear. "I've got to get out of here!"

"So you're going to run out there with the thing you're trying to get away from?!" Storm yelled back in disbelief.

She quickly ran after her friend, making it out of his home in just enough time to see Sam pedal off around the corner as fast as he could on Judy's bike; his Camaro following after him just as fast. She ran outside and grabbed Sam's skateboard from where it was perched up against the side of his home, running out to the sidewalk with inhuman speed.

She took a running jump onto the skateboard, pushing herself forward with her leg to gain as much speed as she could to reach Sam who was already far ahead of her. She easily managed to gain enough speed, quickly passing the Camaro and matching the distance to her friend so that she was right behind him.

She took fleeting glances behind her as she followed the chestnut-haired boy to see if his car was still following them. Despite their efforts, it was. And it was catching up _fast_. That was when Storm heard a loud thump ahead of her followed by a pained grunt.

She quickly turned her gaze forward and stopped abruptly to avoid crashing into Sam. The boy was laying flat on the sidewalk, having tripped himself on a rock that he'd failed to see and un-beknownst to Sam, he'd done so in front of Mikaela and a small group of her friends; his slip-up earning him a cacophony of high-pitched laughter from everyone at the table aside from his crush.

"Oh my God, Sam?!" Mikaela shouted with surprise.

The chestnut-haired boy slowly sat up from his position in response to the familiar sounding voice that had called out his name. His face instantly fell in embarrassment. It was Mikaela, she'd seen his less than graceful wipeout.

Sam couldn't hide the pain in his voice as he responded to his crush. "Hi..."

"That was, uh...That was really awesome." Mikaela said awkwardly.

Storm stepped in to help Sam off the ground and he groaned in pain, hastily proceeding to pick up his mother's bike as he replied to Mikaela's comment with thick sarcasm. "Yeah, well, it felt awesome."

"Are you okay?" The onyx-haired female asked with concern.

"I'm not okay, alright?" Sam said as he slung his leg over the seat of his mother's bike. "I'm losing my mind a little bit and I'm getting chased by my car right now. I've got to go."

Storm followed after her friend as he took off once again, turning into an abandoned junkyard. She used that moment to look behind her as her friend stopped to catch his breath. The Camaro was no longer chasing them, thankfully. They must have lost it in the commotion of Sam's accident.

This didn't dampen Storm's suspicions, however. She was still on high alert. She scanned the area closely, refusing to let her guard down too quickly as she knew that if she did she could end up injured or worse; _dead_.

The sounds of an approaching vehicle caused her to turn on the balls of feet, sub-consciously taking up a battle stance as a low clicking sound that was inaudible to human ears surfaced from the back of her throat.

"Oh great... _cops_." Storm mumbled bitterly.

The sight of the approaching police vehicle cause Sam to sigh in relief. He ran towards it, holding out his hands for it to stop and it did. He placed them down onto the hood, shouting into the heavily tinted windshield of the car towards it's driver.

"I've had the _worst_ day ever! I've been followed here on my mother's bike, right? And my stolen car is somewhere around here! It's been following me all the way from my house!"

Storm narrowed her eyes, inspecting the vehicle from afar. Something felt off about this situation, an un-comfortable sensation building in the pit of her stomach. However, she couldn't place her finger on exactly what it was that was raising her suspicions as she continued to listen the one-sided conversation that Sam was having with the officer inside the car.

She directed her gaze towards the windshield of the vehicle as Sam continued to speak frantically, wondering why the officer within had yet to say a word in response to the boy. Her eyes went wide, her blood freezing in her veins at what she saw...Just like the Camaro, this car had no driver.

The police vehicle sensed her knowing gaze and it began to shift before both her and Sam, loud hydraulic whirring filling the air. Panic rushed through as her friend was thrown through the air onto a rusted vehicle by...was that an arm?

Once it was finished, the former police vehicle had transformed into something virtually un-recognizable, standing on two legs like that of a human. It kneeled down roughly above Sam, slamming it's hand down onto the car beneath him which the boy just narrowly dodged; crushing it in the process.

"Are you username LadiesMan217?!" The massive being screamed at him with it's deep, metal tinged voice.

Sam couldn't answer the creature due to overwhelming fear. Though he tried, he was only greeted with silence, the sound failing to escape his throat. This only served to anger the metallic giant as it towered over him.

It moved in closer towards him, repeating it's question to him though doing so louder this time. "Are you LadiesMan217?!"

"Yes!" Sam screamed, shielding his face with his arms in terror.

Storm was paralyzed as she watched the being above her friend continue to interrogate him, demanding he tell it where the eBay item "21153" was. She tried to will her body forward but it wouldn't respond. For the first time in a long time, she was being reacquainted with an emotion she'd all but forgotten. _Fear_.

Just then, a familiar flash of yellow rounded the corner. It was Sam's Camaro, and the sight of it managed to capture the attention of the former police vehicle, as well. _This was her chance_ _to take it down_. Storm propelled herself forward with newfound courage and inhuman speed, leaping onto a row of rusted cars that would lead her safely over to the bi-pedal machine.

Once at it's side, she leapt up several feet towards it with impressive agility, latching onto the metal being's face tightly. She pulled her free hand back, closing her fist tightly before slamming it through the behemoth's protective, metal lid and into it's eye socket.

It easily gave way under the force of her hit and the un-known being screamed out in pain as she wrapped her hand tightly around it's right eye, holding onto it like an anchor as he began to thrash widly. It began to swipe at her with it's long, clawed fingers and she dodged every frantic movement, gripping down harder onto it's eye.

That was when the being tried to throw itself forward to crush her. Storm quickly let go of it's eye, pushing her legs into it's chest with all the force she could muster, propelling herself away from it as it fell. The giant landed with a massive thud, a large cloud of dust bellowing up around it's body as it rolled onto it's back.

She caught herself with an outstretched arm, palm planted firmly into the dirt covered ground to stabilize herself. She propelled herself forward once more, running towards her enemy and leaping onto it's face to finish what she'd started. She grabbed onto it's right eye that it had foolishly left un-covered in it's fall without hesitation, pulling with all of her strength.

It's eye came out with a sickening snap and it screamed in agony as a large hand that she hadn't anticipated came up from the side and grabbed Storm around her body tightly, throwing her through the air and into an un-suspecting Mikaela that had rounded the corner. The force from her crashing into the onyx-haired female sent the girl flying off her motorized vehicle, the two skidding to a stop just behind Sam's Camaro.

Storm ignored her pain as she leapt up from her spot with determination. She grabbed Mikaela by the arm and quickly pulled her to her feet, disregarding the confused and astonished looks she was receiving from Sam; no doubt due to her inhuman display.

"Get up! We have to go, _now_!" Storm yelled with urgency.

She grabbed Sam and Mikaela by their shoulders, ushering them towards the chestnut-haired boy's Camaro that he'd been so desperately trying to avoid earlier. It's doors opened in response, the teenage pair occupying the front seats with Storm diving into the back. She wasn't one-hundred percent sure if they could trust the Camaro, but something in this moment was telling her to trust her gut. And she wasn't about to ignore her instinctual feelings.

Storm braced herself as the faded-yellow vehicle swung itself around wildly on it's axis, pulling out onto the main road to evade the imposter police car that had recovered from her ripping out it's eye and was now headed straight for them, slinging junkyard cars angrily in it's wake.

She grabbed onto the handle jutting out from the ceiling as they began to take aggressive turns, glancing backwards out of the rear windshield in just enough time to catch the last glimpses of the death-bot behind them shifting back into a cop car.

Storm patted the leather seating beneath her with her free hand, assuming that Sam's car was the same as the one following them only minus the absolute death-wish for those inside. "I'd kick it up a notch, big guy! The oversized terminator is gaining on us!"

The Camaro had heard her. It pushed the gas pedal into the floorboard as far as it would go but it simply wasn't enough. The cop car was faster them. It rammed into the back of the car and everyone aside from Storm screamed as they were propelled forward in their seats from the force.

"We're going to die!" Sam shouted in terror.

Storm removed her gaze from the back windshield to narrow her eyes at Sam as they took a sharp turn through the window of a warehouse, crashing through a set of rusted shelving that was littered with cardboard boxes.

"Shut the hell up and stop screaming, Sam! We are _not_ going to die!"

Her words did nothing to calm Sam's fear, but Storm had meant every word she'd said. She wouldn't allow for the people within this vehicle perish so long as she was present. However, if they were going to make it out of this alive, they'd need to escape their enemy's field of vision.

Storm held on tightly as they took a sharp turn out of the warehouse and the Camaro swerved around a corner, hastily backing into a dead-end road before shutting off it's engine and locking it's doors; trapping those inside.

"We're locked in." Sam said with audible panic as he desperately tried to force the passenger door open.

Storm placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, squeezing it lightly in reassurance. "Calm down, Sam. He's got a plan...And if he doesn't, _then I do_."'

Sam had opened his mouth to respond to Storm when he was interrupted by the sight of approaching lights coming down the road in front of them. The air within the vehicle quickly filled with tension, everyone holding their breath when the imposter police vehicle pulled past them slowly. It was looking for them, like a predator stalking it's prey.

Thankfully, it soon pulled past them, failing to notice their presence at the end of the road. Sighs of relief filled the Camaro once the cop car was out of sight. However, this relief was short-lived. The death-bot backed up towards the entrance of the road they were hiding on and stopped, shining a light directly at them. It seemed it had spotted them after all.

The Camaro's engine turned on and the yellow vehicle wasted no time in making its escape, barreling down the street and over a bridge, shooting directly past the police car. They flew into the open expanse of an abandoned plant and the Camaro's doors opened, ejecting the trio out onto the cold pavement.

Just as the police car had earlier, Sam's Camaro began to transform; coming to stand on two feet. It held up it's arms, hands closed fisted as he took up a boxing stance. He was prepared and ready to battle the cop-bot that was zooming towards him.

As the police car made it's way towards the former Camaro, it transformed mid-air, striking the yellow being in the face with a lone punch as it flew over his head. The red-eyed being landed before the trio behind him, towering over them as one of it's hands shifted into a mace that it began swinging wildly in the air.

In tandem with this, a smaller, one-foot tall robot shot out from it's chest, landing flat-footed on the ground in front of them. The group of three turned around in to flee and the small-bot chased after them as the yellow being behind them intercepted their attacker, soon being sent flying over their head's into a concrete structure with a powerful kick.

The manic-bot managed to cut them off as the ferocious battle ensued behind them. It latched onto Sam's pants and tripped him, forcing him roughly to the ground. He frantically began kicking at the metallic being's face, trying to get it to let go but to no avail. It's sharp fingers anchored themselves into his pants.

Storm panicked seeing this, instinct taking over as only one word repeated itself in her mind. _Protect_. She dove after Sam's attacker, freeing him from his pants which gave both him and Mikaela the chance to escape. She wrestled with the being even as she lost balance, rolling painfully down a hill with the small being held tightly in her grip; both of them dodging and throwing punches the entire way.

It wasn't long before the small-bot realized that Storm was too powerful a foe for it to take on alone. It quickly abandoned her and took of in escape to fulfill it's intended mission. However, Storm wasn't about to let her enemy escape that easily. She chased after it up the hill, leaping onto it's back and tackling it roughly to the pavement.

It flipped it's body underneath her and she began striking it in the face and body with her fist, dodging it's strikes as it attempted to cut her with it's hand that had transformed into a small but efficient saw. _Oh no you don't_. She grabbed it's arm at the base where the joint connected to it's shoulder to avoid the sharpened blade, ripping it free from being's body.

High-pitched, robotic screams filled the air as the being once again tried to wiggle itself out from underneath her. _No_. _Not this time_. She gripped it by the neck tightly as Sam and Mikaela returned to aid her, a power saw held in the onyx-haired female's hands.

They stopped in their tracks, mouths falling open in awe as they watched Storm. Her back was turned to them as she lifted the manic-bot that'd been chasing Sam into the air by it's neck as it struggled, grabbing it by the legs before tearing it's body in half with her bare hands using a strength that the two had never before witnessed.

Sam stared on in horror as he watched her arms be splattered with a thick, blue fluid. His mind was instantly flooded with questions at the sight, his brain working a mile a minute. How was Storm so strong? So fast? He didn't have the answers to these questions, but all asummptions pointed to only one logical conclusion.

 _Storm wasn't human_.

* * *

 **Uh-oh, it looks like Sam finally knows something's up and that Storm may not be who she's said/portrayed herself to be. (As if that wasn't already painfully obvious from watching her rip out Barricade's eye. He had it coming, though.)**

 **Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **I'm officially back though only until the fourth. After that, my upload schedule will be rather spotty for the next little bit as I've already stated in the previous chapter's author's notes. I have a lot of stuff that I'll be busy with on those specified days so I hope those of you who read my story don't hate me too much for it.**

 **If this chapter gets out somewhat delayed, please forgive me. I was busy having to help install an air conditioner into my room as it's supposed to be close to one-hundred degrees outside this week and I don't want to kill over from heat exhaustion.**

* * *

Storm could sense Sam's gaze boring through her as she threw the now halved pieces of the small, metallic being she'd torn apart in opposite directions of each other before dropping her arms down at her sides; panting from the physical exertion of the fight.

He'd never seen the woman in such a state. Storm's body was rigid. _Feral_. And for the first time in his life, he was afraid of her, refusing to approach her as his former Camaro walked up to her; the obvious victor of his battle with the imposter police vehicle.

"...What is it?" Mikaela asked in hushed whispers.

The chestnut-haired boy struggled to take his eyes off of Storm as he responded to Mikaela's question. "It's a robot. But like a- like a different...you know, like a super-advanced robot...It's probably Japanese."

Though Storm wished to laugh at Sam's comments, she refrained, her expression betraying her internal conflict as she watched the yellow being kneel down before her. Sam had seen what she'd done to the little-bot that'd been threatening his life. She averted her gaze towards the ground...her secret had been exposed.

The sudden sounds of high-pitched chirping caused her to raise her head, yellow and chrome encompassing her vision. The metallic being before her's features were knitted together in an un-mistakeable emotion despite his lack of prominent facial features. _Concern_.

She smiled at him softly, slowly raising her hand and placing it gently on his cheek without fear as Sam watched their display. She'd expected to feel cold metal but instead, she was met with the opposite. He was warm to the touch, much to her surprise.

"It seems I'm not the only one who's been keeping secrets, huh?" She whispered to him lowly.

The yellow being averted his gaze from her as a sad, whirring sound emerged from the deep recesses of his throat causing Storm's eyebrows to knit together in confusion. Could he not speak?

"Can you talk?" She asked.

The former Camaro nodded to her. " **XM Satellite radio...digital cable brings you...Columbia broadcasting system...** "

Suddenly, Sam spoke up from behind the pair, drawing both of their attention. "So you...talk through the radio?"

The yellow being pointed to Sam whilst nodding to him in agreement, proceeding to clap his hands together in a surprisingly human gesture. " **Thank you, you're beautiful, you're wonderful.** "

His actions earned him a light chuckle from Storm as Sam pointed back at the being. "So, what was that last night?" He asked.

The former Camaro stood from his place in front of Storm, raising an arm to the sky with his hand outstretched, palm facing upward towards the stars.. " **Message from Starfleet, Captain...throughout the inanimate vastness of space...angels will rain down like visitors from heaven! Hallelujah!** "

Mikaela took that moment to speak up with her own question, her first one since the fighting had ended. "What are you, like, an alien or something?"

He pointed over at Mikaela, nodding to her in agreement before transforming into the familiar Camaro that the trio were used, popping his doors open for them as a voice emerged from his radio. " **Anymore questions you want to ask?** "

Storm made her way towards the Camaro without hesitation, pulling the passenger seat forward and climbing into the back seating, leaving Sam behind to convince a skeptical Mikaela to get in the car.

He turned to the onyx-haired female, asking her something that appealed to her hidden desire for adventure. "Fifty years from now, when you're looking back at your life, don't you want to be able to say that you had the guts to get in the car?"

His question was enough to persuade Mikaela to get in the car and that's when the anxiety hit Storm. It was only matter of time before Sam began asking questions...questions she didn't know if she was prepared to answer.

She kept silent as the pair got into the Camaro, Mikaela in the driver's seat and Sam in the passenger side. The vehicle's doors shut behind them on their own, much to Mikaela's surprise, and they set off towards whatever destination the yellow being had in store for them.

Storm kept her gaze trained on the floor as they drove through an underpass with her arms crossed over her chest, deep in thought as she tried to ignore the un-deniable tension within the Camaro. It was so thick that should she have had it on her, Storm could've cut it with a knife.

"What are you, Storm?"

Storm felt her heart stop when she heard those words. She slowly raised her head to meet Sam's scrutinizing gaze, eyes filled with emotion. "Sam, I need you to listen to me, okay? I-"

"I mean, what the hell was that back there?" He interrupted. "You ripped that thing in half with your _bare hands_ , Storm!"

She held her hands out in front of her in pleading. "Sam, I...There's some things I haven't told you about me and I _want_ to tell you the truth. But right now, _I can't_... I _need_ you to trust me, Sammy."

Sam continued to stare at Storm with suspicion. Though he knew he shouldn't be, he was afraid of her after seeing what she'd done. He had known Storm for almost his entire life and the person that he'd seen earlier wasn't the person he saw now sitting in his back seats. That Storm was ferocious, confident, and strong...not the woman staring back at him with wide eyes. _She was scared_.

He turned back around in his seat, breathing out a heavy sigh before speaking; his voice filled with what sounded like...guilt. "Stormy, I...Look. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just having a _really_ hard time dealing with all of this right now...It's not everyday your car turns out to be an alien and you find out your friend has superpowers, y'know?"

Storm couldn't hide her relief as it washed over her, letting go of a breath she didn't know she'd even been holding as she relaxed into her seat. That was when she noticed Mikaela holding herself up by her arms, her body hovering just above her seat.

"Uh...Mikaela? Why aren't you sitting in your seat?" Storm asked with audible confusion.

The onyx-haired female scoffed. "I'm not going to sit in that seat...He's driving."

In that moment, Sam had what he thought was one of his grandest ideas run through his mind. He looked over at Mikaela, silently imploring to any God that may be listening that the move he was about to make didn't fail.

"Well...maybe you should sit in my lap." He said confidently.

Sam couldn't ignore the sounds of choked up laughter he heard coming from the back of the Camaro, rolling his eyes in response. Storm just couldn't seem to keep her emotions to herself nor keep them under control.

"Why?" Mikaela asked with suspicion.

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I have the only seatbelt here...You know, safety first."

The onyx-haired female stared Sam down, contemplating the idea for several moments before she sighed heavily. She carefully maneuvered her way across the center console and into Sam's lap, trying to find a comfortable position as he reached over to his side, grabbing his seatbelt and clicking it in place over them.

"You know, that seatbelt thing was a pretty good move." Mikaela said with knowing.

Sam smirked as Mikaela leaned her head back against his shoulder, whispering out a very risky question to him underneath her breath. "You know what I don't understand...Like, if he's supposed to be this super advanced robot, why does he transform back into this piece of crap Camaro?"

The Camaro suddenly slammed on it's breaks, tires squealing as it slid several inches before finally stopping. The passenger door flung itself open as the seat moved of it's own volition, dumping the pair in it out onto the paved road as traffic passed them by.

Sam and Mikaela quickly stood from their place, Storm watching on in disbelief as the door shut behind them and the Camaro drove away without them; leaving them behind in the middle of the road to share baffled looks with each other.

"What are you doing?...You can't just leave them there!" Storm yelled. "Turn around _right now_!"

The yellow being ignored every word she said as it responded to her in warning. " **I'd hold onto something...little lady.** "

She quickly did as she was told, grabbing onto the handle that was jutting out of the ceiling tightly as the Camaro lifted onto it's right side, a blue light emanating from the undercarriage of the yellow vehicle as it scanned a passing car. She watched on in amazement as the inside of the car began to shift around her, the already sleek interior becoming even sleeker right before her very eyes.

The Camaro returned all four wheels to the ground once it was finished and it swung itself around on it's axis, heading back towards the direction that he'd left Sam and Mikaela. The chestnut-haired boy became frantic when he saw the car approaching him. His formerly vintage, beat-up in appearance Camaro was now a new, very expensive model he could've never hoped to afford.

Once they came to a stop, Storm leaned up in-between the Camaro's front seating, grinning from ear to ear as she shouted out of the open window; waving to the pair standing outside with excitement. "Get in losers! We're going shopping!"

"Is she...is she always like this?" Mikaela asked.

Sam rolled his eyes in amused disbelief. "Yeah. She is."

He took Mikaela gently by the hand, leading her over towards the Camaro to get in as Storm receeded into the back of the car. The door opened for them and they climbed in, being carried away towards their original destination.

Storm didn't know how much time had passed when the finally pulled into an empty lot situated in-between a group of abandoned, run-down buildings. The Camaro's engine shut off as it's doors opened for them, the trio exiting as four vehicles made their approach.

Storm crossed her fluid splattered arms over her chest as a flame decorated Peterbilt pulled to a stop before her. It began to shift carefully in front of her. She didn't move an inch, tracking it's movements with her eyes as it continued to grow in height.

The robotic being kneeled down slowly before her, using it's right arm to steady itself as it stared at her with intrigue; green eyes locked onto ethereal pools of blue. The female before him wasn't the least bit phased by his close proximity. She simply stared up into his eyes calmly as he gauged her reaction. This was no doubt their leader, Storm thought silently.

His eyes drifted over her form, looking for any indication of fear in her expression or body language. He found none, turning his attention to the pair behind her. She was taking the situation far better than them, it seemed, the pair backing away slowly to put distance between themselves and the woman.

"Are you Samuel James Witwicky, descendent of Archibald Witwicky?" The robotic being asked.

His deep, baritone voice sent shivers down Storm's spine. _Oh yeah, this was definitely their leader_. His voice practically dripped regality, demanding the authority it so rightfully deserved simply by it's tone.

"Uh...yeah." Sam responded meekly.

The former semi stood, towering over Storm as he spoke. "My name, is Optimus Prime. We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron. You may call us 'Autobots' for short...Allow me to introduce ourselves."

He gestured with a large hand to the short-silver robot that was breakdancing across from him. "My first lieutenant. Designation, Jazz."

Storm couldn't help but snort in amusement as the silver Autobot continued to breakdance, earning her intrigued looks from those around her as she continued to watch Jazz fling himself onto the roof of a car behind him; striking a pose on top of the now crushed vehicle.

"This looks like a cool place to kick it." Jazz said.

Sam stared at the silver Autobot in curiosity and disbelief. "What is that? How'd he learn to talk like that?"

"We've learned Earth's languages through the World Wide Web." Optimus answered truthfully.

Storm barked out a laugh. _Of course they had_. She just hoped that in their search to learn the many languages of Earth, they hadn't stumbled upon the more... _inappropriate_ sections of the internet.

"My weapons specialist, Ironhide." The Autobot leader said, gesturing with his head to the black Autobot at his side.

Ironhide transformed his hands into a set of cannons and he pointed them directly at Sam. Storm snarled. The group of Cybertronian beings visibly flinched at the inhuman sound as she rushed the black Autobot, putting herself in-between his cannons and her friend; throwing her arms out to her sides.

Optimus clamored to shut down the forming situation, stepping inbetween Ironhide and and Storm as he demanded his weapons specialist lower his cannons. He looked over at his leader with indifference, shrugging his shoulders with non-chalance as he receeded his weapons. "Just kidding. I just wanted to show him my cannons."

That was when the former search and rescue hummer approached Storm, concern lacing his voice, "Femme, why are your arms covered in Energon?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Covered in...oh, you mean this blue stuff?" She said as she raised her arms out to him.

The yellow and red Autobot nodded in agreement. "Yes."

"Well, uh...that's a bit of a complicated story." She said.

The sounds of excited chirping caused everyone to turn their attention towards Sam's former Camaro. He touched the side of his head and everyone watched as a projection cascaded across the side of the building closest to them...It was of Storm, a full-frontal view of her as she ripped the small-bot that'd been chasing Sam apart with fury; teeth exposed in a gritted snarl and her expression absolutely _deadly_. He was showing them how she'd gotten the substance on her.

Storm could only rub at the back of her neck in nervousness as everyone watched her feral display that her friend's former Camaro had apparently recorded to memory. She would be lying if she said it wasn't embarrassing to have herself portrayed like that. _Bloodthirsty and threatening_. But she wouldn't take back her actions for anything. She would _always_ do what it took to keep those she loved safe.

Upon seeing her anxiety induced actions, the yellow and red Autobot quickly kneeled down before her and grabbed her arms in panic. "Don't do that, femme! Energon is mineralized with high amounts of toxic metals that are dangerous to organic beings and we need to avoid spreading it!...How long have you been exposed?!"

"Uh...only a few hours. Why?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

His expression was marred with concern. "We must get this energon off of you and transport you to the nearest human medical center _immediately_!"

Storm chuckled hearing the former search and rescue hummer's concern. She tilted her head to the side, smirking at him as she spoke. " _I'm fine_. This stuff couldn't hurt me even if it tried."

The yellow and red Autobot's metal eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Storm pulled an arm free from his gentle grasp, hiding it close to her chest. He watched as her skin shockingly receeded away with a faint orange light to where the energon covering her arms ended near her elbow; revealing a dark covering underneath the blue substance with the rest of her arm covered in seemingly normal human skin.

"Call it a highly educated guess." She whispered to him lowly so that neither Sam nor Mikaela could hear her.

Storm couldn't help but chuckle as the former search and rescue hummer pulled away from her and stood, no less astonished as he watched her arm return to normal with no trace of the dark covering that was formerly there anywhere to be seen.

Un-beknownst to her, the concerned Cybertronian wasn't the only one staring at her. All of the Autobots were, including Optimus. However, he was staring at her at her in more than just astonishment. He was looking at her with suspicion... _what was she?_

"As you've already met, our medical officer." Optimus said, gesturing with a hand to two-toned Autobot. "Designation, Ratchet."

The Autobot medic raised an arm towards Sam and Mikaela, a red laser beaming towards them from his wrist that scanned them up and down. Once finished, he pulled his arm in towards his chest, tapping on a holographic screen that hovered just above his arm.

"The boy's pheromone levels suggests he wants to make with the female." Ratchet said in a highly professional tone.

Storm collapsed to the ground on her back in hysterics, high-pitched noises coming from the back of her throat as she attempted to stifle her overwhelming urge to laugh. She rolled over and began pounding the pavement beneath her with the side of her fist as she closed-mouth screamed.

Sam swore in that moment he would die of embarrassment as he listened to his friend's outburst, covering his beet-red face with both of his hands as Mikaela rubbed at the back of her neck, clearing her throat awkwardly.

Suddenly, Storm felt a strange sensation course through her as she was very blatantly scanned by the Autobot medical officer. She jolted up from her spot, pointing at Ratchet as yelled at him in joking. "Hey! I didn't give you permission to scan me, asshole!"

The yellow and red Cybertronian ignored the woman's insult towards him as he briefly skimmed over the results of her scan, He'd been worried that something might be seriously wrong with her given her sudden outburst, but he could find nothing wrong. Strangely enough, however, her scans showed no match to any of the species his database had cross-referenced. Her DNA was registering as "un-known".

"Is your friend functioning properly?" Ratchet asked Sam.

The chestnut-haired boy ran a hand down his face in exasperation. "Yeah...she is. Just ignore her. It's what I always do."

Storm's expression dropped in disbelief, quickly changing to annoyance. "Oh, is that how it's going to be, Sam? Well y'know what, see if I ever save your scrawny-ass from another mini-death machine!"

Optimus couldn't hide the amusement on his face nor in his voice as he spoke. "You already know you're guardian, Bumblebee."

Storm, Sam, and Mikaela all turned their attention towards the yellow bot. He began boxing the air, bouncing his weight from foot to foot as he did so. However, this lengthy introduction did nothing to explain what Sam was really wondering. Why they'd been brought here.

"So why are you here?" Sam asked.

The Autobot leader's expression instantly changed. He touched the side of his head lightly with two fingers and a projection began to form under them. Un-like Bumblebee's projection, however, this one had depth; sharp, metallic spires and fire sprawling out underneath their feet as Optimus spoke.

"Our planet was once a powerful empire, peaceful and just...until we were betrayed by Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. All who defied him were destroyed." He said, spitting out the leader of the Decepticons name with venom. "Our war finally consumed the planet, and the All-Spark was lost to the stars. Megatron followed it to Earth, where Captain Witwicky found him. He had crash landed before he could retrieve he cube...It was an accident that intertwined our fates."

Optimus looked up at Sam. "Your grandfather accidentally activated his navigation system and the coordinates the the cube's location were imprinted on his glasses."

Sam raised one eyebrow in curiosity. "How'd you know about the glasses?"

The Autobot leader answered him truthfully. "eBay."

Storm crossed her arms over her chest, deep in thought, Now she knew why the imposter police car had been after Sam. It had seen the same eBay page that the Autobots had and wanted his grandfathers glasses to find the location of this "cube".

"If the Decepticons find the All-Spark, they will use it's power to transform Earth's machines and build a new army. And the human race will be extinct" Optimus said with a grave tone. "Sam Witwicky. _You_ hold the key to Earth's survival."

Storm narrowed her eyes, her expression serious. She didn't want innocent humans being caught up in this. _Especially not Sam_. They were on the verge of a war and she knew more than anyone that war changed people. It would make Sam a different person, and she wanted him to stay un-aware to the ways of fighting, killing, and survival that she was all too familiar with.

Mikaela looked over at Sam, her expression betraying her fear. " _Please_ tell me that you have those glasses, Sam."

* * *

 **Yay, another chapter rewritten!**

 **Now, if you all will excuse me, I am going to continue working on my Destiny puzzle while I watch T.V and binge on candy**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **We've finally reached it. The chapter in which Storm reveals herself as being a Forerunner. Now, from what I've read/researched about Forerunner armor, it's said that personal armor may be worn over a combat skin which from what little I've seen appears to be essentially just a skin tight bodysuit of sorts as it's Forerunner religious preference to never be seen outside of a combat skin/armor.**

 **(Her combat skin is what Storm revealed to Ratchet when he was panicking about her having energon on her arms.** **Also, y** **ou'll see her** **actual armor later in this chapter.** **)**

 **This way, when she's not wearing her armor, she will still be up-holding** **her's, as well as** **the Forerunner's beliefs in that aspect. Now, on the scale of Storm's armor rating, the combat skin she wears beneath her armor would rank out at a 1, the most basic and lowest on the Forerunner scale with her personal armor ranking out to be a class 12.**

 **I've heard and read that the highest Forerunner armor class goes to is 12, but I have also heard it proposed that the highest is 18. With no actual knowledge as to the truth of this, I'm going to cap out her armor at the highest level stated in-game by 343-Guilty-Spark which is twelve.**

 **This leads us to the question of what Storm's personal armor looks like. I have no way of showing those of you who read my story exactly what her armor looks like given I couldn't draw anything to save my life. But, the closest representation of her armor which I've found would be by an artist by the name of "The-Chronothaur" on DeviantArt. They have very amazing work which I would recommend you all to look at with their specific work titled "Forerunners" showing the most similar in appearence to her personal armor which is numbered as "7" in their image.**

 **For legal purposes, I would like to state that all credit for that image goes to The-Chronothaur. I am simply recommending you to look at their work if you would like a better visual of how I imagine Storm/Tempest's personal armor. She** **doesn't look** **the** **exact same as their artwork, but pretty similar to the idea I came up with.**

* * *

The Autobots collectively transformed down into their vehicular forms, preparing to set off towards Sam's residence. The chestnut-haired boy made his approach towards Bumblebee, climbing in with Mikaela as Storm made her way towards the Autobot leader.

She knocked on his driver's side door lightly and it opened for her. She climbed in without hesitation though struggling to do so given her lack of significant height. However, she managed, leaning back into the driver's seat as her seatbelt secured itself over her body.

Her mind was a mess of thoughts as they pulled out onto the road, un-able to ignore the anxiety building in her chest as she knew that this situation was only going to worsen before it got any better. But most of all, she was worried about Sam; silently swearing to herself in that moment that once her friend had handed over his grandfathers glasses, he would no longer be involved in this situation. _Period_.

"Are you alright, femme?" Optimus asked.

The sound of his voice immediately snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned her gaze towards the radio where the sound had came from, grinning towards it with a convincing yet fake smile. "Yeah. I'm fine. This is just...it's a lot to take in."

However, she wasn't fine. She turned her gaze towards the floor. She was anything _but_ fine. The safety of her friend was in jeopardy and it wouldn't be long before the Decepticons found him. And worst of all...she didn't know if she would be able to protect him.

"We're here." Optimus said.

He pulled to a park on the road and Storm exited from his truck cab. She began walking towards Sam's home, stopping abruptly in her place when she caught sight of her arms. _Shit_. _She'd completely forgotten about the state they were_ _in_. She couldn't go inside like this. If Ron and Judy saw her energon covered arms they would begin to ask questions she wouldn't be able to answer for their own safety. The less people that knew what was going on, the better.

She crouched down, proceeding to sneak around slowly outside of her friend's home. As she made her way past the bushes at the entrance to his yard, Storm spotted Sam. He was talking to his father through a screen door; the portly man reprimanding him for being three minutes past curfew and forgetting to do his chores.

She continued onward towards him as he attempted to talk his father down and he spotted her from the corners of his vision. He turned to look at her, doing a double-take with his eyes going wide in surprise. Storm held an energon coated index finger close to her lips in a hushing motion, hoping Sam would understand what she was implying. _Don't_. _Say_. _Anything_.

Just then, Ron attempted to open the screen door of their home to come outside. Sam quickly shut it in his face before he could see Storm, frantically promising the man that he would do all of his chores and more before bed.

The man seemed pleased with Sam's promise, backing away from the door and allowing him access to the inside of the home. The chestnut-haired boy rushed inside and shut the door behind him, thankfully enough.

Storm slowly continued to make her way forward, creeping past the door as the Autobots watched her make her way towards the awning attached to the home. She leapt onto it with impressive agility, opening a window of the home without a sound and swinging herself inside effortlessly; leaving the window open as she turned to her right and walked into Sam's bathroom. She was _beyond_ ready to wash away the viscous energon that had dried on her arms.

Sam entered his room just as Storm was washing the last bits of energon away, shutting his bedroom door behind him. She walked out to meet him, drying her hands off with a fluffy, white towel she'd taken from his bathroom.

Sam pointed at Storm, one eyebrow raised in confusion. "How did you get in here?...Y'know what, don't answer that. We don't have time for questions right now so come help me find the glasses."

Storm did as he'd asked, throwing the now damp towel in her possession onto his bed to help aid in his search. They tore apart his room until it was nothing more than a disorganized mess, standing in the middle of their handy work with stressed expressions. _The glasses_ _weren't here_.

That was when they heard the distinct sounds of hydraulic whirring. They turned their attention towards the source, finding Optimus' large hand hovering just outside the open window Storm had entered through with a very un-comfortable looking Mikaela seated within his palm.

He ushered the onyx-haired female into the room to aid in their search and she was glad to oblige, happy to no longer be hovering in the air on his palm. She helped Sam and Storm continued to tear the boy's room apart with reckless abandon until they heard a loud crunch from outside. The group of three rushed over to Sam's window to locate the source and sure enough, they found it. Optimus was staring down at his raised foot, Judy's crushed, ceramic bird fountain scattered across the ground in pieces beneath it.

"You couldn't wait for five...you couldn't wait for five minutes?!" Sam yelled at him in hushed whispers. "I told you to stay. Just _stay_!...God!"

The Autobot leader grumbled out in annoyance, imploring for the three of them to hurry. Before Sam could return to his search, however, he saw something that made his blood run cold. His dog, Mojo, was outside; leg raised in preparation to urinate on Ironhide's large, metal foot.

He turned around and took off in a full run towards his bedroom door, throwing it open with haste before running downstairs and out of his home to retrieve the small animal. He was simply too late, Mojo relieving his bladder all over the weapons specialist's foot as he stepped foot in his yard.

Ironhide pushed the small dog away with his foot and Sam snatched him from off the ground into his arms as the black Autobot attempted to shake off the liquid. He wasn't happy, raising his cannons at Mojo as his eyebrows knitted together in annoyance. "You have a rodent infestation. Shall I terminate?"

"What?...No, no, no, no. He's not a rodent. This is my...this is my Chihuahua. We love Chihuahua's!" Sam said frantically.

Ironhide narrowed his eyes in anger. "He's leaked lubricants all over my foot."

"He pee'd on you?" Sam asked. He looked down at the small animal in his arms, pointing him in the face as he faux scolded him with much exaggeration. "Bad Mojo! Bad Mojo!"

Ironhide joined in on the chestnut-haired boy's scolding. " _Bad Mojo!_ "

Storm couldn't help but find the situation amusing as she watched it play out before her. A sentient machine from outer space was standing in her friend's front yard, aiding him in scolding his pet for urinating on his foot. It was poetic justice.

"Serves him right. He deserved that for pointing his weapons at you and Sam earlier." She said with a smirk.

Mikaela agreed with a snicker. "Yeah. He _definitely_ deserved that."

It wasn't long before Sam returned to his room, no longer holding Mojo within his arms. He shut his bedroom door quickly, locking it before returning to Storm and Mikaela's side to continue with their search for his grandfathers glasses.

While Storm and Sam searched the boy's closet, Mikaela moved her search to the underside of his bed, pulling a medium-sized black box out from underneath it. She went to open the lid but before she could, Sam ripped it from her hands defensively while stuttering with panic; the commotion drawing Storm's attention.

Storm snickered to herself lowly as she turned back around. The onyx-haired female had almost discovered what she had affectionately dubbed Sam's "naughty box" that she, too, had stumbled upon on accident many years ago without her friend's knowledge.

After many more minutes of vigorous searching, the trio gave up, collectively coming to the conclusion that his grandfathers glasses simply weren't in his room. The boy began to pace the length of his room with stress before stopping in his place, staring out of his open window with a mortified expression.

Storm came over to stand at his side, wondering what had caused him to adopt such an expression. She belted out in un-controllable laughter at what she saw. The Autobots were "hiding" just as he'd asked them to, attempting to blend in with their vehicular forms to not raise any suspicions...in his yard. It was like the worst game of hide and seek she'd _ever_ seen.

Her laughter was soon cut short, however, by the sounds of Ron and Judy knocking at Sam's door. She nimbly climbed out of his window, scaling the side of Sam's home to the roof and crouching down lowly to hide from his parents. If they'd seen her there, they would have been rightfully suspicious of how she'd gotten into the home.

She listened intently as she heard Ron and Judy begin to get impatient. His father began counting backwards from ten, threatening to break down his door should he not open it by the time he was finished.

She heard the sounds of frantic shuffling below her as Sam attempted to hide Mikaela from his parents and not long after, she heard his door swing open. His parents immediately began demanding an explanation as to why his door had been locked and why they'd heard multiple voices and laughter coming from his room.

Sam became defensive. "This is repression, what you're doing here...You're ruining my youth, okay?"

"Oh, for Pete's sake! You are _so_ defensive!" Judy said. "Were you...masturbating?"

Storm choked on air hearing Judy's question, slamming her head into the roof with a massive thud. She didn't care if the people inside the house heard her. She was going to kill over and die from laughter before the Decepticons even had a chance to find her.

The situation was only made worse when she heard Judy say that if it made Sam un-comfortable, they didn't have to call it by that name; insisting that they could call it by something else like "Sam's happy time" or "My special alone time...with myself."

 _That was it_. _She couldn't take it anymore_. Storm began repeatedly banging her against the roof to resist belting out in hysterical laughter upon hearing what Judy had suggested, all the while listening to the woman as she began to apologize to Sam and Ron for her inappropriate behavior.

That was when Storm heard the un-mistakable sounds of hydraulic whirring she associated with only one thing. _Oh no_. She slung her head up to see the Autobots transforming before her. This was bad. _Very bad_. She stood from her spot, skating her way down Sam's home as fast as she could to try and stop the forming situation.

She landed flat-footed on the ground, just narrowly managing to side-step out of the way and avoid Ratchet's falling body as the he tripped himself on a set of power lines, shocking himself into oblivion much to the amusement of those around him.

Storm could hear Ron shouting from inside the house about an earthquake, the portly man scrambling to Sam's bathroom and climbing into his bathtub for safety from the shockwave of the Autobot medic's body hitting the ground.

Ratchet and those around him quickly scrambled to hide when Ron finally deemed it safe and emerged from the safety of Sam's tub. Storm darted over to the awning she'd used to enter her friend's room, hiding underneath it alongside Jazz as the man walked over to Sam's window, shining a flashlight around the remnants of their yard.

"Oh, no...The yard is trashed and we've got a blown transformer!" Ron yelled.

Storm leaned her head against Jazz's shoulder to hide her now flushed face over the highly inappropriate thought that had ran through her mind in response to Ron's comments; silently scolding herself. _Now is definitely not the time for that, you idiot_.

Once the coast was clear and Ron had receeded away from Sam's window, Storm removed herself from underneath the awning, gesturing to the Autobots as she spoke. "Look, you guys have _got_ to go. I can get you the glasses but as of right now, there is _no way_ I can do that with you guys here. Just...go hide a few streets away and I'll meet you all there...You have my word."

Optimus seemed conflicted about Storm's plan. It was obvious that he didn't trust her and she didn't blame him. However, he relented, ordering for his men to fall back in order to regroup later. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she watched them transform down into their vehicular forms, disappearing off into the distance.

With the problem now contained, or rather, gone, Storm turned around towards Sam's home, approaching his front door. She opened it and walked in before calling out her friend's name. He emerged moments later from the second floor of his home with his parents in tow, the pair greeting her briefly before she separated herself to follow after Sam and Mikaela into the kitchen.

He rummaged through his backpack that was laying on the kitchen table with desperation, pulling out the much sought after glasses. Sighs of relief filled the dining area. They followed after Sam as he made his way towards the living room and once they entered the space, they were greeted with the sight of multiple SUV's full of men in suits and heavy armor pulling into the yard through the windows.

Storm clicked lowly in the back of her throat. _Shit_. She grabbed Sam by the shoulders, spinning him around to face her; her expression lethal and her voice laced with venom. "Sam...whatever happens to me, you get those glasses to Optimus, understood?"

The boy looked at her with un-ease. "Stormy, what's going on?...You're scaring me..."

"Promise me, Sam!" She whispered through her teeth.

Sam reluctantly agreed with her demands, shoving the glasses into the pocket of his jeans as a knock was heard at his front door, drawing Storm's attention. She watched Ron as he walked towards the door and opened it. A suited man sporting a blantantly fake smile was waiting on the other side.

"Ronald Wickity?" The un-known man asked.

Ron didn't hesitate to correct the man in his mispronounciation of his last name. It didn't seem to phase the man in the slightest, however. He simply peaked around Ron's shoulders, looking into the home with suspicion before returning his attention to the portly man. "May I enter the premises, _sir_?"

Storm didn't like the way the man had asked to enter the home nor how he'd called Ron "sir". It screamed of hidden intentions...She didn't trust this man, _at all._ She watched on with narrowed eyes as the suited man rudely pushed past Ron and into the residence without permission, coming to a stop before her, Sam, and Mikaela; sporting the same fake smile he'd given Ron.

"How you doing, son. Is your name Sam?" He asked the chestnut-haired boy.

Storm walked forward, puffing up her chest as she pushed her friend behind her protectively. "It depends... _Who's asking?_ "

The suited man all but ignored her as he walked around her, disregarding her very existence as he grabbed Sam roughly by the arm, pulling the boy towards him. "I'm going to need you to come with us, son."

 _No_. Sam wasn't going _anywhere_. Storm grabbed the man by his hand and forcefully removed it from Sam's shoulder, twisting it backwards on itself. He yelped in pain and collapsed to the ground, her grip never faltering in it's strength. She would break his hand if that's what it took to get him to leave Sam alone.

However, her display had drawn too much attention. Three men in full suits of protective armor rushed her. They tackled her to the ground, roughly cuffing her hands behind her back. She struggled with all of her might against the humans as Sam and Mikaela met the same fate, doing her best to not harm them.

She collapsed under her own weight, trying to make their job much harder but to no avail. The simply picked her up off the ground by her arms and legs, carrying her out of the home as she kicked wildly with Sam and Mikaela being dragged away behind her.

The armored men forcefully shoved her into an SUV alongside Sam and Mikaela, hitting her head on the way in. She hissed out in pain as was chained to her seat and the door was slammed behind her, narrowing her eyes at Simmons as he climbed into the car, the man sitting down in front of the trio with a smirk plastered on his face.

The SUV pulled out of Sam's yard and set off down the road with it's un-willing inhabitants trapped inside, it's entourage following closely behind for back up as they were driven to an un-known destination.

It was deathly silent around her, no one saying a word as Sam and Mikaela looked around the inside of the vehicle un-comfortably. Storm glanced over at the pair from her peripherals, refusing to take her eyes off the suited man in front of her. They were scared, sharing nervous glances between each other. And this man was _thriving_ off of it.

"So...LadiesMan217." He said. "That is your eBay username, right?"

Sam replied to him nervously. "Yeah, but...you know...It was a typo and I ran with it."

It was obvious that the man didn't believe him. He gave Sam a wary look before he reached for his phone, playing an audio recording of the boy. It was the one from the night he'd been arrested. Everyone listened as he let it play and if Storm could have, she would have slapped a hand to her forehead in disbelief. She couldn't believe her friend's stupidity.

All of her thoughts were soon drowned out in that moment by a sudden, loud ringing in her ears and the faint hum of an electric current coursing through the air; a phantom vibration against her skin. She knew this feeling...only, it was different this time. Nothing at all like the sensation she'd felt from Bumblebee.

She looked around her with confusion, un-able to find the source of the high-pitched noise that had invaded her sensitive ears. _What the hell was that?_ She was slowly beginning to feel like she was going crazy.

"So." The suited man said as he turned to Storm. "What do you know about aliens, huh?"

Storm narrowed her eyes at him, refusing to dignify him with an answer. She could see it all over his face that her lack of response had angered him and it filled her with pride. This man wasn't used to being defied and that's something she had always been was defiant.

Once he realized that he wouldn't get what he wanted out of Storm, he turned his attention towards Sam and Mikaela, asking them the same question. They denied any knowledge of the topic and the man became irate. He grabbed his badge from his coat pocket, flashing it in each of their faces.

"You see this?" He said. "This is a 'I can do whatever I want and get away with it' badge."

Storm leapt from her seat towards Simmons, snarling at him from inches in front of his face; her bindings holding her back. There was _no way_ she would be bullied into submission. She would sooner break her chains and unleash hell on everyone within this car.

Simmons wasn't the least bit threatened by her actions, however, obviously having no idea just who he was messing with or rather, _what_. He forcefully pushed her back into her seat and as her back connected with the thick leather, she began to feel the electric sensation from earlier resurface, blanketing her entire body as she caught an un-mistakable glimpse of red and blue in front of her. _Optimus_.

She braced herself for the imminent collision, her chains breaking as she thrown harshly into the floorboard upon colliding head-first into a large, metal leg. The force was disorientating, her head pounding as a set of large fingers penetrated the roof of the vehicle and lifted them into the air, everyone around her screaming in terror.

The battered SUV was un-able to withstand it's own weight. The roof tore away with ease, sending them hurtling towards the ground at high speeds, a cloud of dust bellowing up around them upon their impact with the un-forgiving concrete below.

The air was forced from her lungs and she struggled to breath, taking in whatever air she could though subsequently inhaling the dust around her. She began coughing violently. Her lungs felt like they were on fire as she looked up slowly to face the sounds of hydraulic whirring coming from above her. Optimus was staring down at her, crouched above the remains of the human vehicle.

His expression was furious as he reached out for her, gently plucking her from the floor of the vehicle and cradling her close to his chest as he stared down at the suited humans in the battered, black vehicle, their hands raised in surrender.

"Taking the children and the femme was a _bad_ _move_." He said with audible anger. "Jazz, relieve them of their weapons."

The Autobot lieutenant did as he was told by his leader. He raised his left hand, transforming it into a giant magnet that he used to pull the visibly dumbfounded agent's weapons away from them as Storm watched Optimus lean in close to Simmons.

"You do not seem afraid." He said. "Are you not surprised to see us?"

Simmons floundered at the question, his mouth repeatedly opening and closing before he finally mustered the courage to respond to the Autobot leader. "I'm not authorized to communicate with you except to tell you that I... _can't_ communicate with you."

Optimus wasn't happy with the man's response in the slightest. " _Get out of the car_."

Simmons refused to follow his demands and this angered him. He narrowed his eyes at the man, shouting loudly in his face. "Now!"

A visibly startled Simmons clamored from the ruined vehicle with haste and Storm smirked at him with pride. After how he'd been thriving from his power-trip earlier in purposefully making Sam and Mikaela un-comfortable, making them afraid, he deserved to feel the same emotion. An eye for an eye.

Storm looked up at Optimus as Sam and Mikaela pulled the man off to the side, turning her back to him and wiggling the fingers of her cuffed hands at him. "A little help here?"

The Autobot leader obliged her in her request, gently breaking her wrists free from her bindings. She breathed out a sigh of relief once her hands were free, rubbing at her sore wrists to try and massage away the pain. They were bruised, no doubt from the chains that had been forcefully broken in her fall into the floorboard.

"Thank you." She said. "Mind putting me down next to Sam and Mikaela?"

Optimus did as he was asked, setting her down gently next to the pair as they demanded that Simmons remove his clothes. The man did so angrily, threatening the pair before him until he was stripped down to only his undergarments.

Sam and Mikaela cuffed him to a pole alongside who she now knew was the man's advisor, Storm smirking the entire time. _Oh yeah_. He _definitely_ deserved this. Simmons wasn't so amused, however, screaming into the trio's faces that they were criminals.

That was when Simmons was stopped in his tracks, being showered by a clear liquid that was raining down upon him. Storm followed the seemingly never ending stream of liquid with her eyes to find it's source and she belted out in laughter. Bumblebee was enacting the human equivalency of urinating on the man's head.

"Bumblebee, stop lubricating the man." Optimus ordered, a tinge of amusement hidden in his voice.

The yellow Autobot shrugged his shoulders innocently as Storm continued to laugh. However, her laughter was cut short when she saw the flash of something black in the hands of the man beside Simmons from her peripherals.

She rushed over to the man, snatching away what he was attempting to hide behind his back. It was a cellphone. And it was fourty-five seconds into a call. She tried to figure out where the call was routed to as Sam and Mikaela rushed to her side but to no avail. She didn't know who the man had called but whoever it was, she knew that it couldn't be anywhere good.

Storm closed the flip-phone, ending the call for whoever was on the other side before holding it up for the men to see with a deadly grin plastered on her face. She let go off it and it fell to the ground, raising her foot above it before slamming her heel down on the small device.

Mikaela gasped once she raised her foot. The phone was destroyed...and so was the concrete beneath it; now sporting spider-web like cracks that cascaded out around it. Simmons and his advisor turned to each other upon seeing this, sharing looks of knowing...No mere human possessed that kind of strength.

Suddenly, the distinct sounds of helicopter blades could be heard in the distance. Storm snapped her head towards the sound and the Autobots followed her gaze. She clicked lowly in the back of her throat. _Damnit_. They were in _big_ trouble.

Optimus ran over to Storm, Sam, and Mikaela, snatching them up before making a hasty retreat. He stopped under a bridge, looking back at the now far too close for comfort helicopters. They wouldn't be fast enough to escape...they needed to hide. He looked around him before directing his gaze to the underside of the bridge. _It was their only chance_.

He placed the trio on his shoulders. Storm on one, Sam and Mikaela on the other. He began carefully scaling the metal structure and they held on tightly as the alien leader splayed himself out horizontally beneath the bridge, all of them watching with bated breath as three helicopters passed underneath them to follow after the other Autobots.

That was when Mikaela screamed. She had slipped, the only thing keeping her from descending towards the ground to her demise being Sam's grip on her. However, he was quickly losing his grasp of her, un-able to support both his weight and her own.

Storm knew that there was no logical way the pair could survive the fall...but she could. She couldn't back out of what she was about to do, but she refused to let Sam and Mikaela die. Not when she knew she could prevent it.

She rushed forward, grabbing onto anything that was jutting out of Optimus' body and using it to guide herself over towards the pair. She swung herself across with all the speed she could muster but she simply wasn't fast enough. Sam slipped with Mikaela just before she reached their side, both of them descending towards the ground.

She dove after them without hesitation, pulling her limbs in towards her body to gain speed. She reached out for them as she came in close, latching onto the two by their clothes before flipping her body around so that she was beneath them, eyes closed tightly with her back facing the ground. Despite her trying desperately to hold on, Storm lost her grip of Mikaela, the female flying away in the opposite direction of her and Sam.

Optimus watched on with wide eyes as the scene played out before him, a horrifying realization dawning on him as he contacted Bumblebee for assistance in saving the onyx-haired female...the female clad in all black was going to sacrifice herself, taking the force of the blow in Sam's place.

She could sense the Autobot leader's gaze upon her as she disengaged the camouflage response of her combat skin. She opened her eyes at him from over Sam's shoulder as the sclera of her eyes shifted from white to jet black, leaving her iris it's normal shade of green as her skin color faded into a muted grey.

She couldn't miss the look of astonishment in his eyes as he watched her armor phase itself over her body in a flash of orange a light, a hood of thick, black cloth coming up over her head as dark grey mask encroached upon her face; leaving only orange, illuminated slits to be seen over where her eyes would be.

Storm wrapped her arms tightly around Sam, pressing him into her armored chest as she prepared for impact with the concrete ground below. She hit the ground hard and rolled several feet with a heavily bruised, but still breathing Sam; Bumblebee skidding to a stop at her side moments later. He'd rescued Mikaela, holding the onyx-haired female tightly against him just as she was Sam.

Helicopters quickly swarmed the area, heavily armored men holding weapons lowering themselves from the human aircraft by rope. They rushed Storm and she leapt up from over Sam's bruised body. She crouched over him protectively, swinging her arms out to her sides in a show of intimidation as she roared ferociously at the approaching humans, a metal over-tone to the sound as it escaped her mask.

The feral sound completely stopped the armed agent's in their tracks. They raised their weapons at her, fully prepared to shoot her though she knew it wouldn't do them any good. Her armor was _much_ too strong to be penetrated by the inferior human weaponry.

They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, un-moving in their stalemate as helicopters rushed over their head with large guns mounted to them. They fired cables at Bumblebee and the yellow Autobot was pulled to the ground roughly, sparks sent flying as Cybertronian metal grinded against concrete.

Armored men rushed him as he lay on the ground, spraying him with liquid nitrogen. The pained sounds he made as he was doused with the freezing liquid distracted Storm. She looked behind her to Bumblebee, hissing ferally through her teeth at the sight. _They were cornered_.

The armored humans saw this as their chance. They approached the distracted female with extreme caution and their weapons raised. They were no match for her advanced hearing, however. She swung her head around towards them and leapt into action.

She ran towards the group of men with inhuman speed, kicking one armored agent several feet away before leaping onto another and slamming his head into the ground with a deafening thud. She didn't want to harm them, but they had left her no choice. The lives of the many outweighed the lives of the few when the existence of their planet and entire species was in jeopardy. And she refused to fail in upholding her people's legacy.

She incapacitated the group with haste, failing to hear the sounds of approaching footsteps behind her in the commotion as Simmons silently walked towards her, an abnormal looking weapon gripped tightly in his hands.

He aimed it at Storm, carefully lining up his shot before pulling the trigger. An electrified net flew through the air and connected with her; wrapping itself around her. She screamed out in agony as she fell to the ground, desperately trying to cut away the device around her with the clawed fingertips of her armor but to no avail. The material was too thick and her movements too shaky.

Simmons had thought for a split-second in that moment that it was too much electricity for the un-known female to handle, but it had to be done. He didn't know what she was...only that she was something he'd never seen before; something _extremely powerful_ that needed to be subdued quickly.

She struggled against her bindings as Sam watched on in horror. His friend was screaming violently in pain and he could do nothing to stop it, being forced to watch as more SUV's full of men in rubber suits pulled up beside Storm with a helicopter stopping just overhead of her.

A thick, rubber cable dropped down from it's underside and the men in protective suits attached Storm to the cable, net and all, before signaling to the pilot with a thumbs-up that she was secured and ready for transport.

It slowly raised into the air, taking a still fighting Storm with it as Sam and Mikaela were forced into the back of the vehicle; all three being carried off to a destination un-known.

* * *

 **Whew. Another chapter done.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Just a heads up, this chapter will be slightly shorter than the last one. I am very tired due to me having to make an early morning doctors appointment (I've only had four hours of sleep) because I'm sick. However, I wanted to get a chapter out despite this even if it would be smaller than normal. I will begin uploading again Monday and hopefully I will feel better by then.**

 **Also, for those of you who may wonder later in this chapter, Storm can phase in Forerunner weapons at will via her Ancilla. This will be elaborated on more later as it reveals serious plot details but you won't have wait too much longer for a full explanation. I will give you a hint, though. It has to do with Requiem.**

* * *

She was dropped un-ceremoniously onto the concrete ground below the Hoover Dam. Her weakened body landed with an audible thud in front of a small group of humans, some heavily armored and some wearing lab coats and protective rubber gloves. They'd been waiting for her to arrive.

They approached her cautiously, grabbing her by the net wrapped tightly around her body and hoisting her onto a gurney that held restraints for her arms and legs. A human approached her and deactivated the electrified device, removing it from around her before hastily securing her limbs. Storm hissed out in anger. She was now their captive.

Her vision was swimming wildly as she was turned around, being rolled rolled through a darkened, poorly lit tunnel. These humans were very obviously confident in their numbers knowing that she was un-able to fight back in this moment.

She narrowed her eyes as she was rolled into a brightly lit room, the fluorescent lighting invading her sensitive eyes. Once her eyes finally adjusted, she slowly looked around her, taking in her surroundings. The large room appeared to be hastily set up in preparation for her arrival. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. She knew now exactly why she'd been brought here. _The humans were going to experiment on her_.

She began to struggle against herbindings as she was rolled to a stop in the center of the room but to no avail. She was far too weak from the electric current that had been flooding her body, her armor having yet to fully recover from the constant disruption of her systems.

Once her HUD finally came back on, flashing to life across her mask, she scanned over it with her eyes. She was running out of oxygen, her suit no longer able to produce it due to the electrical disruption. She breathed out a heavy sigh as her suit attempted to reboot it's life support systems. As much as she didn't want to, she was going to have to remove her protective mask if she wished to breathe.

She willed the protective covering away with much reluctance, watching on tiredly as the pieces pushed themselves back from over her face; resting at the sides of her head. She took in a deep, desperately needed breath, shakily exhaling it with anxiety.

The humans around her hadn't missed this, watching her with curiosity and intrigue. Storm could sense their gaze upon her. She ignored all of their stares, refusing to allow them the satisfaction of eye contact.

He attention was drawn when a human wearing a lab coat walked up to her left side, dragging a small, metal table behind him that was littered with various items and machinery. She attempted to stay calm, not wanting to show any semblance of weakness to her captors. _She wouldn't give them that power over her_.

An armored human standing at the back of the room began threatening her with bodily harm should she not comply with their demands or attempted to escape. That was when the human at her side leaned down over her, lowering himself near her face.

"Not so tough now, _are you_?" He said snidely.

It was readily apparent in the man's voice that neither he, nor those around her saw her as a living being, one with thoughts and emotions of her own. _She was simply a science experiment to them_. She used the last of her energy to quickly raise herself from off the table as much as her restraints would allow. The human quickly recoiled back in fear as she snapped at his face with her elongated canines.

"Kill me or release me human." She said breathlessly. "But do _not_ waste my time."

The human didn't respond to her comments. Instead, turning towards the table behind him and grabbing something off it's metal surface. Storm turned her gaze away from him as she heard the sounds of a metal tool being picked up, mentally preparing herself for what she knew was about to come.

She screamed out in agony, arching her back up off the table as he forced a pair of forceps underneath the plating of armor covering her stomach. He pulled at it with all of his might to remove the thick piece of armor from it's orange shell of hard-light that lay just underneath but to no avail. It wouldn't come off, the armored plating refusing to move less than an inch away her body. He let go off the piece of armor and it snapped back against Storm's body with a sickening sound. She stopped screaming, panting heavily as she tried to regain her composure.

He turned away from her towards the table, picking up an ion torch before turning back towards her. He turned on the tool, pointing it directly towards her armor with disappointingly no effect. His actions elicited no response from the alien female un-like before however she knew that it wouldn't. Fire was ineffective against her armor.

He had devised so far that the alien before him's armor was resistant to fire and could only be removed willingly by it's host. At least, that's how he speculated it to be given her earlier demonstration. Her armor also seemed to contain pain receptors, strangely enough, as she'd screamed out in pain when he'd tried to forcefully remove her armor for her later dissection.

Once again, he turned back towards the table, setting down the torch in his possession to pick up a glass vial filled with clear liquid. He turned to her and removed it's lid, pouring it's contents onto Storm's body with once again seemingly no effect. The corrosive liquid simply rolled off her armor and onto the table beneath her, eating away at it's surface.

The man reached for the last tool in his arsenal. A medium-sized power saw. He started up the power tool and lowered it to armor in the attempts to cut through it. She lurched violently, screaming out in agony of the painful vibrations.

She struggled desperately against her bindings as the outer edges of her vision began to go black, sending out a desperate call for help through her Ancilla as she finally began to slip into the dark embrace she felt slowly drawing her in. That was when she heard the all too familiar sounds of a slip-space portal opening in tandem with the sounds of shifting metal. The humans around her screamed out in terror as the armored men began shooting at what had appeared before them.

The sounds of organic bodies hitting the concrete walls around her resounded throughout the room as she quickly willed forward her protective mask and after that, all was quiet save for the sound of a deep, echoing voice that resonated within it's frequency in unison with another identical sounding voice.

"I have come for you, Tempest."

Storm barked out an exhausted, breathy laugh. "Took you long enough, Eternal."

She heard him respond to her comments with a joking scoff as she breathed in deep the oxygen her suit was able to once again produce, trying to calm herself to reverse her quickly fading vision. She was successful in her efforts, turning her head to face The Warden's multiple bodies as he approached her on each side to break her bindings, freeing her from the gurney.

She slowly came to stand from her place, looking around her at the un-conscious and battered humans scattered across the room. They'd left her nor The Warden any choice. There were more pressing matters at hand than her experimentation which they couldn't possibly understand.

She walked with haste towards the door on the opposite end of the room, scanning over the keypad to it's right with her eyes before attempting to hack it via her Ancilla with no luck. It required an electronic key card. One which she didn't possess.

She quickly made her way towards the humans laying around her, searching each of them and their pockets for the desperately needed key card when she found it. She pulled it up to examine it and breathed out a defeated sigh. It was destroyed, no doubt in the ensuing battle between this human and The Warden. _It looks like they'd have to make their own way out_.

She threw the destroyed piece of human technology to the ground as she stood before turning and making her way back towards the door and Eternal. She looked up at him, speaking to him with audible frustration. "It's no good. We're locked in and the only key out is destroyed...If we're going to get out of here, we'll have to do it the hard way."

The Warden nodded to her in understanding. He turned towards the wall beside the locked door, phasing in a segemented sword held together by hard-light into each of his body's hand as Storm phased in a set of Forerunner bolt-shot's into each of her's. The Promethean titan began to assault the thick, concrete wall and it didn't take much before it crumbled to the floor in ruins.

He crouched down out of the room and Storm followed after him with haste through the opposite end of the tunnel she'd been led through, her weapons gripped tightly within her hands in the event they encountered human resistance on their way out. They broke out into a run, following the tunnel deeper into the Hoover Dam; her mind a mess of thoughts. If she were here then most likely Bumblebee was here, as well.

The tunnel led them out into an open hangar and Storm stopped in her tracks. Her heart threatened to quit beating at the sight before...she was staring into the lifeless, void eyes of a cryogenically frozen Megatron, the sight of him sending shivers down her spine. It was then that she spotted Sam and Mikaela standing at the base of his feet alongside a small group humans dressed in military gear, their backs turned to her. Her eyes went wide with panic. She needed to get them out of here. _Fast_.

"Sam! Mikaela!" She yelled out to the pair, panic audible in her voice.

They group collectively turned to face her upon hearing her call out to Sam and Mikaela and she ran towards the pair. However, she was stopped in her tracks when a now armored Simmons un-holstered his pistol from his thigh and aimed it towards her. She pulled up her bolt-shot's in response and aimed them directly towards his head as she narrowed her eyes. He was making a _huge_ mistake. Simmons couldn't win this battle nor would his armor be enough to save him from the ionized energy of he weapons and she wouldn't back down against. _Not when so much was at stake_.

The hard-light holding together The Warden's body's turned red in response to seeing this, indicating his anger. He walked over to stand on each side of her, raising his sword's towards Simmons; the action saying everything despite his lack of words. He wouldn't hesitate to cut him down if he even so much as looked at Storm wrong.

The display forced him to holster his weapon, holding up his hands surrender. He was outnumberd and _heavily_ outmatched. However, he didn't take his eyes off Storm and the tall, alien being's at either side of her. Not until the Hoover Dam began to shake violently, the artifical lighting above flickering in and out of existence in tandem with the aggressive vibrations.

Alarms began to resound throughout the area as one of the agents surrounding Megatron's body began to shout with panic. "The Cryogenic system is failing! We're losing NBE One!"

"You have to take me to my car, okay?" Sam said frantically. "He's gonna know what to do with the cube."

The armored man appeared un-affected by the chestnut-haired boy's pleading. "Your car? It's confiscated."

Simmons knew where the All-Spark was? Storm's mind immediately went into overdrive. She rushed the man, slamming him up against the military vehicle behind him roughly before raising her hand and pointing one of her bolt-shot's into his chest, a deadly venom to her voice. "Do as he says, _human_."

"We don't know what will happen if we let it near that thing!" He yelled in her face.

Storm narrowed her eyes at him from underneath her mask. _This man was quickly testing her patience_. "Maybe you don't, _but I do_."

"I have people's lives at stake here, _alien_." He spat out angrily, leaning in closer towards her face. He was very clearly challenging her.

She'd finally had enough of Simmons stubborn resistance. Storm forced her bolt-shot further into his chest and Simmons visibly grimaced in pain. She didn't have the time for this. _The Decepticons were after the All-Spark and they were running out of time_.

"You see this weapon right here?" Storm said through gritted teeth, anger audible in her voice as she gestured with her head to the gun pointed into Simmons' chest. "It has this side-effect where it vaporizes anything upon contact...so if you don't want to end up a pile of dust on the floor, I'd suggest you take us to Sam's car. _Now_."

She could see the fear her words had inspired in the man, easily able to hear the emotion in his voice as he spoke. "Hey, you want to lay the fate of the world on the kid's Camaro? Fine."

Storm removed her weapon from the man's chest and he set off in the opposite direction rubbing at his now pained chest. She followed after the Sam, Mikaela, and the small military group with The Warden trailing just behind her through several sections of the Hoover Dam to a room where she could her muffled whirs of pain coming from inside.

She rushed inside to the see a group of humans spraying Bumblebee with liquid nitrogen. Her blood felt like it was on fire. Sam and Mikaela desperately tried to stop the agents from harming the yellow Autobot any further but it was of no use. The men were ignoring them. Storm rushed the group, receding her mask from over her face as she snarled ferally at them; the sight of her black sclera, grey skin, and elongated canines effectively stopping them in their place as Simmons ordered for them to stand down.

With Bumbebee no longer being bombarded by the freezing liquid, Storm turned around to face him. She slowly walked towards him to avoid startling him before activating the gravitational manipulator of her suit, floating over top of him and taking his face in her armored hands, moving his head gently to look at her.

"Bee, get up...We need your help." She whispered to him lowly.

As Bumblebee met her gaze, recognition flashed in his eyes. She smiled softly to him in response, the smile soon leaving her face, however, when the yellow Autobot abruptly plucked her from the air and held her close against his chest, earning him a surprised yelp from the woman and loud snarls from her identical guardians near the back of the room.

Storm managed to free an arm from his tight hold on her, gesturing for The Warden to stand down as the situation began to escalate. Bumblebee transformed his free hand into a cannon, pointing it between him and the humans separating him from the exit.

She brought her hand up, placing it on his metal cheek as she spoke to him in low whispers of reassurance. "It's okay, Bee...you can put the cannon down. I promise they won't hurt you anymore."

The yellow Autobot kept his cannon trained on the agents around him for several moments before choosing to trust Storm, lowering it and transforming it back into his hand. He looked down at her, meeting her gaze as he chirped at her with concern.

"Don't worry about me, Bee. We've got more important matters at hand so I need you to listen to me, okay?" Storm said with seriousness. "The All-Spark is here and the Decepticons are coming for it so we've got to get it away from here _now_."

Bumblebee's expression immediately changed upon hearing her words. He stood up with haste, following after Simmons out of the room as the man led them towards where the All-Spark was being held. He raised Storm onto his shoulder as they entered the room, her mouth falling open in awe. The All-Spark was _huge_ , taking up almost the entire room with the energy coming off of it making her skin feel as if it was crawling.

The yellow Autobot reached for it with both hands and methodically touched it in several places. The All-Spark began to shrink down on itself in response until it was just small enough to fit in his palm.

He turned to face Sam, cube held tightly within his grasp as he spoke. " **Message from Starfleet, Captain...Let's get to it.** "

Storm removed herself from Bumblebee's shoulder, leaping towards the ground and using her suit's gravitational manipulator to slow her fall. She landed flat-footed, watching as the yellow Autobot handed off the All-Spark to Sam so that he could transform down the Camaro they all recognized, opening his doors for the boy and Mikaela to climb in once he'd fully shifted.

She walked over to Bumblebee, tapping him lightly on his hood with the armored knuckles of her fist as she spoke to him with seriousness. "I'll fly behind you to protect the All-Spark...Just promise me that no matter what happens to me, you'll keep Sam safe and finish this."

He chirped to her in agreement as Sam and Mikaela climbed in and once they were settled, he shut his doors behind the pair, driving off towards a secret exit that Simmons was currenty leading them to as Storm floated out behind him.

* * *

 **Surprise! The Warden is in my story!**

 **Those of you who read my previous attempt at this story already knew this but I hope it was a genuine, awesome surprise for those of you who are new readers.**

 **I really liked Halo 5 despite most people hating it. The story was lacking in some aspects but the multiplayer was on point though I much prefer Halo: Reach and that games style when it comes to multiplayer.**

 **The next chapter will most likely be the end of the events for the first Transformers movie and that's when things will slow down because I'll have to come up with chapter ideas unless I receive help.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **I have returned!**

 **I feel better in some aspects compared to this past Friday but worse in others. Apparently when I went to the doctor I contracted some form of sickness as my throat is very sore. This just goes to show how crappy my immune system is, unfortunately.**

 **However, the story must go on. I am going to do my best to keep getting chapters out despite my current predicament.**

 **(P.S: I know you guys have seen the italicized sections in my story and I just wanted to give some clarification on it. If it's a single word, that is for emphasis/emotion on said word** **. If it's an entire sentence, that is to convey internal thoughts. Just figured I'd put that out there so no one gets confused.)**

* * *

Simmons led them through the underground tunnels of the Hoover Dam. They seemed to stretch on forever, feeling like an eternity before they finally reached their destination. A large, reinforced metal door. He pressed a green switch at it's side and the door slowly lifted to reveal a hidden exit that was nestled at the end of a long, abandoned alleyway.

Bumblebee slowly pulled forward to make his exit, Storm hovering just above the ground after him when Simmons suddenly grabbed her by her lower arm, narrowing his eyes at her with a serious expression.

"I hope you know what you're doing trusting that thing, girl." He said. "The fate of our world is at stake here."

Storm directed her gaze to where the man had hold of her arm, narrowing her eyes at him from underneath her mask in return with anger After what he'd allowed to be done to her and Bumblebee, she didn't want him touching her or anywhere near her, for that matter. _He'd already burned that bridge_.

She pulled her arm back from him with force as she met his gaze, responding to him with a heavy tone of annoyance. "I know exactly what I'm doing, _human_. It is my duty to keep your species and planet safe. And I'm going to do whatever it takes to ensure that happens. Even if it means trusting _that thing_."

Simmons said nothing in response to the irate woman as she turned her attention ahead of her for fear of angering her further, watching her as she continued after the Camaro before her with haste onto a main road.

Storm kept her eyes trained forward as she began scanning for anything slightly resembling that of a Cybertronian bio-metric signature via her Ancilla. _She was taking absolutely no chances in this situation._ She weaved sharply in and out of human traffic in her pursuit of the yellow Autobot, effortlessly keeping up with him as he made his way onto a crowded, elevated highway.

That was when she heard a high-pitched sound, directing her attention to her HUD and radar. Her Ancilla had detected a Cybertronian signature...and it was headed directly for them at high speeds. _Shit_.

There were no doubts in her mind that it was Decepticon who had detected the All-Spark's energy signature and was following it. She quickly hacked into Bumblebee's communication systems as she turned sharply on her axis, a surprisingly easy feat.

"We have incoming, Bee!" Storm said with audible stress. "I'll do what I can to buy you guys some time but you need to get Sam and the cube out of here, _now_!"

She flew above the highway, scanning the area with her eyes to locate the incoming threat. She narrowed her eyes as her enemy came into sight. It was the cop-bot from the day prior. She sped up in response and as she came in close, he transformed mid-air, leaping towards her with an outstretched, clawed hand.

She dodged his attempt to grab her and slammed into the Cybertronian being's chest at full-speed, throwing him off balance. He fell backwards against the highway with Storm anchored to his chest. They slid for several feet, grappling with each other in a ferocious battle between two species. She threw surprisingly powerful punches at him until he grabbed her tightly, stealing her breath away with a pained grunt as he slung her through the air with force.

 _Not this time_. She adjusted herself mid-air, flipping herself right-side up before she could hit the ground. She landed crouched down on the balls of her feet, standing slowly as the Decepticon watched her. She couldn't miss the sadistic look in his crimson eyes. He was enjoying this. In fact, _he was reveling in it_.

A head-on approach would nothing in this situation. Her enemy was too fast in anticipating her movements. _If she wanted to gain the upper-hand, she was going to have to get creative_. She scanned over his body with her eyes. His stance was overly prideful and confident. Full of himself, even. He was cocky...and she was going to use that against him.

"What's wrong, _asshole_? Afraid to let me near you because I might steal your other eye?" She asked tauntingly, the smirk audible in her voice.

His expression immediately changed, her taunting comments visibly angering him. The Decepticon roared at her before charging her with reckless abandon, letting anger cloud his judgement. _And that's exactly what she wanted_. She waited until he came close, sliding inbetween his legs at the last moment; using her momentum to propel herself off the ground and onto his back.

She began tearing at the sensitive wires beneath his armored plating with her hands. He growled out in pain, reaching behind his back with both arms to grab her but to no avail. She easily dodged all of his attempts, far too nimble for him to be successful.

That was when she noticed a clear tube filled with blue liquid pulsating through it. She recognized this substance...it was energon. The same viscous liquid that had coated her arms upon ripping apart the small Cybertronian that had been chasing Sam. She grabbed onto the tube without hesitation, the clawed tips of her fingers puncturing it as she ripped it free from his body. Her enemies movements became frantic, seemingly un-able to control his own body as he released pained noises. _She'd severed something vital_.

He began to fall backwards and Storm quickly shifted herself to the front of his body, feeling an un-mistakable sensation course through her from his chest as he collided with the ground. It was strong, blanketing her body in a thick energy that she couldn't ignore.

She activated her thermal vision, scanning over his body with her eyes as he desperately tried to regain control of his movements. They locked onto his chest, it's center glowing a bright vermilion. _This was the source of the energy_. She phased in a sword of hard-light and time seemed to slow in that moment as she raised it above her head.

She slammed it down into the center of his chest with all the force she could muster and the Decepticon beneath her began choking on energon as the light of his eyes began to flicker, fading out of existence in tandem with the sensation she'd felt coming from him. He was gone. _The battle was finally over_.

She pulled her sword free from his chest and dropped it tiredly from her hands. It disappeared in a flash of orange light as she breathed out heavily with emotion. She hadn't wanted to take his life but he'd left her no choice. She refused to let Earth meet the same fate as Cybertron. And she refused to fail in her duties towards The Mantle.

"May the Domain welcome you with open arms, brother." She whispered sadly.

She gave his lifeless form one last glance before activating the gravitational manipulator of her suit and flying off in the direction she'd abandoned Bumblebee to protect Sam and the All-Spark as she contacted him via her still active link to his communication systems.

"Where are you, Bee?" She asked.

The yellow Autobot responded to her seconds later. " **...Mission City...** "

 _That was only a few minutes away_. Storm pushed her suit to the brink of it's limits and her HUD soon began to flash warning signs across her vision. Her systems were overheating. She wasn't about to let this stop her, however, proceeding onward towards her destination.

She only slowed once she reached Mission City, flying above buildings as she scanned the ground below her for the Autobots. She soon spotted them in it's center and averted her course towards them. She tilted her body forward, nose-diving towards the ground and the Autobots below.

She flipped her body up-right just before impact, using her gravitational manipulator to slow her descent towards the ground to a snail's pace. She landed flat-footed in front of a visibly surprised Sam and Mikaela and the chestnut-haired boy closed the distance between them without hesitation, throwing his arms around her heavily armored shoulders in a tight hug.

"Oh my God, Storm." He breathed out with relief. "You're okay..."

Storm returned her friend's embrace. "Yeah, Sammy. I'm okay."

Sam pulled back from the woman hearing her response, pointing into her masked face as he jokingly reprimanded her. "No more running off to fight Decepticons by yourself, understood? You could have been hurt or worse! Dead!"

Storm scoffed out a laugh, a smile plastering itself on her face as she held up her hands up in surrender of her friend. Despite her protective armor, Sam was still worried for her. It warmed her heart.

"Alright, alright...I won't do it again. _I promise_." She said.

The sudden sound of an aircraft approaching from the distance drew Storm's attention to the sky where she spotted a jet soaring towards them. She narrowed her eyes, focusing her vision on the aircraft...Her blood ran cold as she scanned over it's surface. The jet was boasting abnormal, black markings. _It was Decepticon_.

"Run!" Storm yelled out to those around her in warning.

Both humans and Autobots alike scrambled in response to her warning though it wasn't enough time to evade the fast approaching danger. She had only a split-second to react as the jet fired off a missile in their direction and she used it to grab Sam and Mikaela, quickly forcing them behind her as she faced the projectile head on. She raised an arm out in front of her and a shield of orange hard light flashed to life, protecting both her and them from the blast and subsequent flying debris.

She kept her energy shield raised even as dust blurred her vision, only dismissing it when she registered a slow approaching shadow in the cloud. She reached for her bolt-shot's attached to her thighs, manually disengaging the mag-locks of her armor and raising them towards what was approaching her, fully expecting for the figure to be hostile.

He heart sank into her stomach seeing what emerged from the now clearing dust cloud. It was Bumblebee...and his legs had been severed from his body in the blast. She quickly reattached her weapons to her thighs via the magnetic clips and ran over to him, taking his face into her armored hands with worry.

"Oh God...Bee!" She shouted with panic. "I...We need to find Ratchet! He can help you!"

The yellow Autobot shook his head at her in response, moving her hands gently away from his face with one of his before using his other to push the All-Spark into her chest with a pained whir. He stared up into her eyes with pleading, speaking to her without words. He wanted her to finish this...even if it meant leaving him behind.

She nodded to him, trying to hide the tears in her voice. "Okay, Bee...I'll do it."

She clutched the All-Spark tightly to her chest as she turned around, being met with the sight of an approaching soldier. He came to stand before them, handing off an object to Sam as he spoke. "More Decepticons just showed up and I can't leave my men alone so you're going to take this flare to the tall, white building with statues on top. Go to the roof. Set the flare. And signal the chopper."

She couldn't miss the shift in Sam's expression. He was visibly overwhelmed, un-able to withstand the responsibility of what the soldier was asking of him. "No, no...I- I can't do this!"

Storm approached the boy and grabbed him roughly by his shirt and jacket, pulling him towards her as she yelled in his face to snap him out of his fear paralyzed state. "Listen to me, Sam! We _have_ to! If we don't, then many innocent people will die!...I know this is overwhelming but I will be with you _every_ step of the way."

"And so will we." A sudden, gravelly voice said from behind them.

They both turned to face the owner of the voice, coming face to face with Ratchet, Ironhide standing just behind him with his cannons raised. "Get the All-Spark into military hands while we hold off the Decepticons."

Storm nodded to the Autobot medic in understanding before grabbing Sam by the hand and rushing off in the direction of the tall, white building she could see waiting for them in the distance. They weaved through the mass of destroyed cars and pieces of buildings that littered the street with haste, failing to to see the Decepticon approaching fast behind them to take the cube gripped tightly against Storm's chest.

Ratchet and Ironhide intercepted the threat before it could reach them, their battle showering the street in sparks as a result of grinding metal. Storm prayed silently as the battle ensued that neither were harmed in their distraction efforts. However, if they were un-successful, she would have no choice but to fly the All-Spark out of the city herself. She knew that if he pushed her suit and it's systems hard enough, she could reach speeds high enough to break the sound barrier at the risk of negatively affecting her. _But it was a risk she'd be willing to take to ensure humanity's safety_.

They were close to reaching their destination when Storm spotted a newly awakened Megatron standing atop a building, holding a struggling mass of silver metal that she recognized in both of his hands. _Jazz_. She stopped in her tracks as she watched the Decepticon leader pick him up, preparing to rip the Autobot lieutenant in half.

She pushed the All-Spark into Sam's hands as she yelled. "Get to the building, Sam! _Now_!"

The chestnut-haired boy did as he was told, continuing the short distance towards their destination as Storm kneeled down onto one knee; phasing in an incineration cannon. She hoisted the heavy Forerunner weapon onto her shoulder before aiming it directly at the center of Megatron's chest.

She pressed in the trigger, holding it as she charged up the cannon; only releasing it until it when the weapon began to shake violently. The force from the weapon's recoil pushed her backwards, her armored knee ripping up the paved ground beneath it. The swirling mass of ionized energy hit it's intended target and Megatron dropped Jazz in response.

She slowly stood from her spot as she watched the Decepticon leader clutch at his chest. The armor beneath his hand began to crumble away into a dusting of orange particles that fluttered away from him like ash in the wind. He followed the direction of the shot with his eyes and they landed on Storm, causing him to snarl ferally.

Megatron began scaling down the tall building with haste to charge after her with vengeance and she wasted no time in running towards the white building Sam had disappeared into and up a set of stairs. She pushed her legs forward as fast as they could carry her to the roof where Sam was waiting for her, having already signaled the flair. He was waving it wildly in the air to gather the attention of approaching military helicopters in the distance.

They spotted him, quickly making their descent towards the building to gather the All-Spark from him. One of the helicopters lowered itself down to the side of the building and Sam reached out to the person inside, trying to hand them the cube but they were just out of reach.

That was when Storm spotted the same jet from earlier flying in behind the helicopter at fast speeds. It shot out a missile and she grabbed Sam, rolling away with him from the impending danger whilst shielding him with her armored body. They rolled away to the opposite end of the roof and once they'd stopped, Storm lifted Sam to his feet, guiding him over towards a statue to hide behind with her as Megatron blasted a hole in the roof.

She placed Sam in front of her, wrapping her arms around him whilst digging her clawed fingers into the statue for added leverage to keep them from falling. She knew that she could survive a fall from this height. It would hurt like hell, but even with her protection, she knew that Sam wouldn't.

"Is it fear or courage that compels you, fleshlings?" Megatron said. "Give me the All-Spark and you may live to be my pets."

Storm sneered angrily, clicking furiously in the back of her throat. "I will _never_ let you have this All-Spark!"

"Oh...so unwise." Megatron snarled out in response to her defiance.

The Decepticon tyrant shifted his hand into a mace and swung it towards them, severing the statue they were holding onto from it's base; sending them hurtling towards the ground. Sam screamed out in terror as Storm desperately tried to hold onto him but she was losing her grip. In that moment, she was flooded with fear, shutting her eyes tightly as tears welled up within them. _She was going to lose Sam and was helpless to stop it_.

She waited for what felt like an eternity for her to hit the ground, to hear the sounds of Sam's body colliding with the un-forgiving concrete below...but it never came. She hesitantly opened her eyes to see Optimus staring down at her, holding both her and Sam close to his chest.

"I've got you." He said. "Hold on to the cube!"

The Autobot leader began to freefall towards the ground, using the buildings on either side of him to slow his fall until he had reached the ground. He set Storm and Sam down carefully before lowering his battle mask to speak to them. "You risked your life to protect the cube. _Both of you_.

"No sacrifice." Sam said.

"No victory." Storm finished.

Optimus looked between them, eyes full of emotion. "If I cannot defeat Megatron, you must push the cube into my chest. I will sacrifice myself to see it's destruction...Now, get behind me."

They did as Optimus said, Storm pushing Sam behind her as they backed away from the Autobot leader; Megatron barreling towards him with purpose. He came at Optimus aggressively, the sounds of colliding metal enough to shatter eardrums.

"It's just you and me, Megatron!" Optimus yelled fiercely.

Megatron snarled in his face. "No, it's just _me_ , Prime!...You still fight for the weak and that is why you will lose!"

Megatron grabbed Optimus, lifting him above his head and throwing him towards Sam and Storm. She grabbed the boy, rolling with him out of the way as the alien leader's fought with each other, Optimus quickly losing the battle. He began pleading with Sam to unite the All-Spark with his chest. _No_. Storm wasn't going to let that happen. She ran forward, leaping onto Optimus' back and up onto Megatron's face to distract him and obstruct his vision, digging her hands into whatever she could as an anchor as he struggled.

"Do it, Sam!" She yelled with urgency. "Push the All-Spark into Megatron's chest!"

Sam didn't hesitate. He ran underneath the struggling Decepticon leader, pointing the cube directly towards his chest. It began dismantle upon contact, the pieces flying upwards into the hole Storm had made earlier in her efforts to save Jazz.

Storm's suit began to blare warnings across her HUD in response to rapidly escalating temperatures. The energy from the All-Spark being destroyed was super-heating Megatron's chassis as she held onto him, transferring the heat from one catalyst to another.

She held on tightly as he fought against her, even as her vision began to fade into black, only letting go once she felt his body go limp with the absence of life. She fell backwards as her breathing became labored, un-able to hold on any longer as her muscles had gave out on her.

She passed out from the overwhelming heat before she'd even hit the ground, the last thing she heard before she was consumed by nothingness being the sounds of Sam and Optimus yelling out to her in unison.

* * *

 **Uh, oh. What's going to happen to Storm now?**

 **People who have read my last attempt at this story already know but I assure you, Storm will be fine. I'll begin work on the next chapter tomorrow. It may be out same day, it may not. It just depends on how I feel.**

 **Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm starving and I'm going to go eat.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **This is it. The chapter in which Storm's true origins are detailed. I've been a big fan of Halo for a long time and have researched into Halo lore extensively on top of what I already know, especially for this story. I want this story to be highly accurate when it comes to Halo and Transformers lore which I hope it is currently living up to in the eyes of you, my readers.**

 **With that being said, if any of you who do read my story would like to collaborate with me and help me come up with ideas for chapters it would be much appreciated. (Keep in mind, you will be credited for any chapter ideas)**

 **As I have already said, I do not know anyone around me who shares the same interest for fan-fiction that I do which pretty much leaves me between a rock and a hard place as I am not an endless well of ideas.**

 **I currently have 20 chapters planned before the events of RoTF start which I will modifying heavily to slow down the progression of the OptimusxOC stuff compared to my last attempt at this story but I want to have at least 30. I also don't want a full on confession to happen until at least the ending events for RoTF preferrably.**

* * *

Storm rolled over onto her right side, taking immediate notice of the cold, hard surface beneath her... _where was she_? She slowly opened her eyes and grimaced in response to the horrible fluorescent lighting that was beaming down upon her from above; aggressively invading her sensitive eyes through the small slits above them in her mask.

She lazily glanced around her to examine her surroundings. She was in a large, open room sporting concrete walls, a myriad of tables scattered around her with various tools and objects resting on their surfaces. The room was _highly_ disorganized but she could tell what it's purpose was. It was a medical bay.

She breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. _At least she hadn't died_. She scanned over her HUD as she lay there in silence. Her armor had just barely managed to keep her alive, her systems advising her to rest as her functions had yet to return to normal, still attempting to be regulated back to an optimal state.

She took this advice willingly. _She was exhausted_. She rolled back over onto her left side, attempting to return to the calm embrace of sleep when she felt the ground began to vibrate, the un-deniable indication that something large was approaching her. Storm was flooded with panic.

She slowly lowered her hand down to her right leg, stealthily disengaging the magnetic locks on her thigh before pulling up her bolt-shot towards her chest. She hid the weapon close to her as she waited for the heavy vibrations to stop directly at he side and once they had, she didn't hesitate to strike. She rolled over quickly, aiming her weapon directly into the face of what she'd expected to be a Decepticon. Her expression fell in horror seeing whom she had pointed her weapon at. _It was Ratchet_.

The Autobot medic was wearing a shocked expression, his large hands held up in surrender as he stared down at her with wide eyes; speaking to her slowly and with caution so as to not trigger the visibly on edge woman into firing upon him with her weapon.

"I was going to wake you and ask if you were feeling optimal but judging by your quick movements and the weapon in my face, I would say my question has answered itself." He said.

Storm dropped her weapon as she breathed out a deep sigh of relief for the second time that day, clasping her bolt-shot back to her thigh before collapsing back against metal berth she'd previously been laying on tiredly.

"Holy shit, Ratchet." She said breathily. "You scared the hell out of me."

He simply hummed in response to her, watching her as she placed her armored hands behind her head to act as a pillow before he raised his arm to scan her. His scan revealed that for the most part, she was functioning properly. She'd gotten lucky.

"Your vitals are for the most part returning to normal, thankfully." He said with seriousness. "If it weren't for your protective armor I'm almost sure your direct exposure to the All-Spark's radiation would have offlined you, femme."

She shrugged her shoulders at him dismissively. "I calculated my options and probability of survival, Ratchet...It was a gamble, but I wasn't about to let Optimus sacrifice himself."

Storm proceeded to tap at the armor of her chest with the knuckles of her fist. "Also, my combat skin that I wear beneath my armor is lined with the Forerunner equivalent of lead that naturally occurs on this planet. I was betting that it would nullify most of the radiation."

The Autobot medic nodded to her in understanding. "Well, it was a very wise decision of you to wear it."

She barked out a laugh in response, narrowing her eyes at him from beneath her mask in amusement. _"_ I never take it off, Ratchet. If I did, I'd live on average about the same time-span as a human...Plus, y'know, it's kind of part of my people's custom to wear it."

"Really?" He asked with intrigue. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to her more and if you would allow it, I'd love to take in-depth scans of your physiology at some point in the future?"

Storm chuckled lightly hearing the eager inflection of Ratchet's voice. The phrase "like a kid in a candy store" couldn't even begin to describe the Autobot medic. She nodded to him in agreement with a smile, un-able to miss the way his eyes lit up in response.

"Of course, Ratchet." She said. "Only so long as the information you derive from your scans stay with you and you _only_."

Ratchet accepted her terms without hesitation. That was when Optimus entered the med-bay, coming to stand at her side as the Autobot medic spoke. "Of course. Patient-Doctor confidentiality and all that...Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go check on Bumblebee to make sure his legs are still functioning properly after their reattachment."

She directed her attention to Optimus as Ratchet made his exit, taking immediate notice of his expression as he kneeled down before her. It was filled with guilt. _Had something happened while she was asleep_?

Her silent question to herself was answered when the Autobot leader spoke. "Storm...I must deeply apologize for what happened to you. Were it not for my inaction, you would not have almost lost your life..."

 _He was blaming himself for her actions_? _Why_? She had made the decision to save him of her own accord, knowing well the risk she was taking and what the outcome might have been for her. It hadn't been enough to stop her. And she wasn't about to let him blame himself for it. She willed her protective mask back from over her face, the metal covering giving way to grey skin and a stern expression.

"Optimus...I knew _exactly_ what I was doing when I chose to save you." She said with seriousness. "I know from experience that Megatron wouldn't have stopped simply because the All-Spark was destroyed and if I were forced to go back and choose between the two of you, I would chose you. _Every_. _Single_. _Time_."

Optimus was visibly surprised by her comments. "I see...Then I am forever in your debt."

She shook her head in disagreement, holding out an armored hand to him to stop him. "Nope. No debts. I was only doing what's best for your people, Optimus...They _need_ you."

"So" She asked with a smile. "How long have I been asleep for?"

He answered her truthfully. "You've been un-conscious approximately two Earth days."

Storm leapt up from her laying position to a sitting one, immediately regretting her actions as the sudden change caused her head to pound furiously; subsequently making her dizzy. She held at her aching head as she responded to him frantically. "What do you mean I've been asleep for two days!?...Oh my God, Sam! He's probably freaking out right now! Does he even know that I'm awake or at the very least, alive?!"

The corners of Optimus' mouth curled up into a smile as he answered her. "Yes, Storm. He knows that you are still online, only not that you have woken."

Storm visibly relaxed, sighing with relief as she lowered her her aching head into her armored hands, all the while mumbling about how Sam was going to "skin her alive" as she rubbed at her face tiredly.

The Autobot leader gently reached out to her with his hand, using one of his large, metal fingers to remove her armored hands away from her face as he asked her a question he hoped would serve to lighten her mood. "Would you like to see him? He has been asking of your condition every half Earth hour."

She visibly brightened. "Yes. I'd like that very much."

Optimus held his hand out to her palm up and she understood what he was asking of her. _He wanted her to climb on_. She stood up on the metal berth, walking into his palm without hesitation. She trusted him completely.

Once she was settled in, he slowly stood to his full height, walking out of the open med-bay towards the direction of Sam. As he walked, Storm sat down; crawling over to the edge of his fingers to peak over them. Her eyes went wide in amazement. _He was tall as hell_.

She turned her head, looking back over her shoulder at him as she spoke. "Hey, Optimus? Where are we?"

"We are in a temporary base within the Hoover Dam." He answered.

Storm sneered, exposing her elongated canines. She wasn't happy in the slightest to know that she was back here after what had transpired...to be back in the place where she and Bumblebee had been tortured by humans. All anger was gone from her mind, however, when they walked into a room occupied by the Autobots, two of the soldiers from Mission City, Sam and Mikaela.

As soon as their eyes locked, she leapt down from Optimus' palm, using her gravitational manipulator to slow her fall before crashing into Sam's outstretched arms. He spun her around in a reciprocated hug before setting her down and examine her, making sure for himself that she was alright.

"Why did you do something so risky, Storm?" He said with anger. "You promised me you wouldn't take on a Decepticon alone again and you almost died!"

She rubbed at the at the back of her neck from underneath the hood of her armor as Sam scolded her actions, soon raising up her hands to defend herself. "Whoa. Calm down, Sam...I knew I'd survive it, okay? My suit has a built-in geiger counter."

"Also-" She said, knocking her fist lightly against her chest. "-my suit is lined with lead."

The chetsnut-haired boy sighed heavily before wrapping her in another hug...That was when a thought passed through her mind that she simply couldn't resist acting on. "Seriously though...I was a _total_ badass taking on Megatron, right?"

The chestnut-haired boy pulled back, rolling his eyes at her. "Do you always have to ruin the moment, Stormy?"

His expression caused her to double-over in laughter. However, Sam couldn't laugh with her, un-able stop wondering as to his friend's true origins. _How long had she been masquerading as a human_? _Why hadn't she told him the truth_? These thoughts only served to further his desire to know the answer to the question that'd been plaguing his mind for days since he'd watched her rip out the cop-bot's eye and the small being that'd been chasing him in half with her bare hands.

"Stormy...What are you?"

Her laughter immediately subsided hearing those words. She turned to him, her expression giving away her inner turmoil. "I'll tell you, Sammy...as long as the information you hear stays limited to the people in this room."

He briefly looked to those around him before turning his attention back to her, nodding to her in agreement. "Okay."

"As is already obvious, I'm not human." She said. "So...I presume I should start with my name. 'Storm' isn't my true name, only the one I adopted to help better blend in with your population as it's the closest in your language to my true name...At least part of it, anyways."

She paused, taking in a deep breath to ease her anxiety. "My true name, the one given to me by The Warden Eternal, is Tempest-Of-Ancient-Worlds. I am a Forerunner...and I'm the last of my kind."

"My people" She continued. "Were created by what we perceived as our gods, the Precursors. My ancestors judged themselves the inheritors of our creators Mantle of Guardianship to all life. However, our creators didn't see it this way. They believed us too pretentious to hold this title and instead, passed this legacy down to another species...Homo-sapiens."

The humans around her all shared shocked glances with each other, seemingly un-able to believe what Storm had just said. However, they said nothing, listening to her intently as she continued to speak.

"Many millenia after this, a parasitic species emerged from the dark recesses of space. "We called it 'The Flood'. This parasite lived only to consume and overtake any sentient life with enough bio-mass to sustain it. However, my people eventually developed a solution to this problem, a drastic one only to be used as a last resort. They built twelve, large-scale devices we called 'Halo rings' that they methodically placed in each galaxy containing sentient life and they were constructed with only one goal in mind...to eradicate the Flood's food source."

The dark-haired soldier at the back of the room suddenly spoke, his voice filled with audible worry. "Wait, so you're telling us that there's a giant death machine orbiting our galaxy that's primed to fire at any moment?"

Storm shook her head in denial. "No. I purposefully destroyed the key responsible for it's activation long ago to keep it out of un-worthy hands."

Her expression shifted to one of sadness as she continued to speak. "My people sacrificed themselves by activating our orbiting galaxies Halo ring in the effort to wipe out the Flood that invaded our home world's."

The room was silent, filled with a thick tension when Mikaela broke it with a question. "How are you alive then if this 'Halo ring' killed your people?"

Storm's voice was filled with emotion as she answered the onyx-haired female. "I was artificially created after the event that wiped out my species by an exiled Forerunner known as the Ur-Didact using his life partner's DNA. I was supposed to repopulate our species alongside him...but once he realized this was a purpose I wouldn't be able to fulfill, he changed his plan; intending to use me for revenge against your kind for stealing The Mantle from us."

"Femme, when you said you could not fulfill your original purpose for this 'Didact', what did you mean?" Ratchet asked.

Storm was silent for several moments before she finally answered the Autobot medic's question, debating on if she should respond due to the sensitivity of the subject. "I believe 'infertile' is the human word for my condition...It was an undersight of the Didact's in his attempts to hasten my artificial gestation."

"The Warden eventually found me wandering the forests of my home world alone, armorless, and scared much to his shock." She continued. "He gained my trust and took me under his wing, teaching me all that he knew of our home world, Requiem, and the one's beyond it; teaching me how to defend myself and making me wise to the ways of the universe. That was when I decided to carry on our creators legacy with it's intended inheritors, the humans...to protect all sentient."

"How did you end up here?" Sam asked curiously.

"I was discovered in a long warring battle between your species and another." She answered. "I offered your people my aid, bringing the battle to a peaceful end with mutual surrender on both sides. In return, they offered me permanent asylum as their ally and anything I could ever need whilst agreeing to keep my identity secret...It wasn't long after that I met you, Sam."

Sam was almost un-able to process everything he had heard. He didn't know what to say...so he said nothing, walking towards Storm and wrapping her in a tight hug. She returned his embrace tightly... _too tightly_. He began frantically patting her on her back and she pulled back to look at him, her tight grip never faltering. _His skin was turning purple_.

She sucked in a sharp gasp as she immediately pulled back from him, allowing Sam access to the oxygen she didn't know she'd been depriving him of. Her horrified expression caused the room to erupt in laughter from aliens and humans alike.

She rubbed at the back of her neck in a mixture of guilt and embarrassment. "Sorry, Sammy."

The chetsnut-haired boy breathily waved off her apology. "You know, you've got a _hell_ of a grip on you...I think I need to sit down after that."

Storm followed after the boy as he walked over to a wall and sat down, propping himself up against the concrete surface. She sat down at his side, feeling a weight remove itself from her shoulders. She'd no longer have to hide her identity from Sam...and he accepted her just as she was.

She let her head fall back against the wall as she exhaled a deep breath, her eyes slowly beginning to shut on her as she relaxed against it. Soon, all voices around her faded into a muffled, intelligible noise before disappearing all together as she was drawn into a deep sleep; still exhausted from the strain of her suit overheating.

Sam spoke up to the her in a question but received no response. He turned to look at her as he called her name, finding her lazily propped up against the wall at his side, her breathing even and her eyes closed. _She had fallen asleep_.

He turned to look at Optimus, waving at him to draw his attention before gesturing silently with a pointed finger to the sleeping Forerunner at his side. The Autobot leader did his best to quietly walk over to her, gently picking her up and cradling her gently against his chest.

He proceed to carry her away towards the med-bay with a concerned Ratchet in tow and once inside, made his way over to her berth; laying her down carefully onto it's metal surface. He gave her one last glance before turning around and making his way back towards the med-bay doors, knowing well that Ratchet would take care of her.

She groaned softly as she rolled over onto her side, the noise drawing Ratchet's attention. He raised his arm to her, scanning her for the second time that day for good measure to make sure her vitals were still stabilized.

The results of his scan both astonished him and peaked his curiosity. Storm was giving off a Cybertronian bio-metric signature...and it was registering in his database as Optimus'.

* * *

 **Oh man. What does this mean for Storm? I guess you all will have to stay invested in this story if you want to find out, haha...I know, I'm evil.**

 **But seriously, wow. There was** _ **a lot**_ **of backstory in this chapter and I am throughly worn out from writing today. I think I'm going to go play some Destiny 2 to recharge. The weekly reset happened today so I've got a lot of stuff do, especially given that I'm trying to complete those stupid-ass lost prophecies for Brother Vance. I** _ **really**_ **want to get enough points from the Moments of Triumph to get that shirt with my gamertag on it.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **This chapter is a little bit shorter than the last one so I hope you all don't mind. At the time of writing this I am dealing with a migraine, unfortunately. Despite this, I am determined to get a chapter out.**

 **Also, this is one of the many funny chapters I have written so I've been anticipating re-writing it for awhile now.**

 **Now, onto the story!**

* * *

Storm rolled over onto her right side lazily, shuddering from the cold air of the med-bay as it penetrated her armor. She raised her arms above her head to stretch, releasing the tension from her muscles that had developed during sleep before bringing her arms down from over her head to rub at her eyes carefully with the backs of her clawed index fingers.

As she opened her eyes, Storm couldn't help but grimace from the fluorescent lighting that invaded her sensitive eyes, quickly attempting to cover them with both of her hands in the effort to shield them from the horrible lighting above when she registered the heavy vibrations of Cybertronian feet approaching her; the sound of Ratchet's familiar, gravelly voice following soon after.

"Ah, you are awake. How are you feeling, young one?" He asked.

His question fell on deaf ears. Ratchet watched as Storm rolled over onto her left side without a word, throwing an arm over her head and eyes as she grunted at him causing him to narrow his eyes at her.

He huffed in vexation before raising a large hand towards her, nudging Storm lightly in her armored back with his inded finger. "Come now, Storm. It is well within human operational hours."

The Forerunner removed her arm from where it was draped over her eyes, swatting it towards the Autobot medic lazily as she trailed off in a sleep-hazed response. "No...just five more minutes..."

Ratchet scowled at the female in annoyance. He was having no luck in waking her...that was when an idea crossed his processor that caused him to smile devilishly. If Storm wouldn't get up willingly, _he was going to give her no choice_.

He gently grasped the underside of the medical table Storm was laying on, tilting it up at a fourty-five degree angle. She slowly began to slide off of it's surface to the edge, falling over it and hitting the concrete ground with an audible thump that startled her awake.

Her eyes frantically scanned the room where they landed on a smirking Ratchet. She narrowed them at the Autobot medic as he spoke with amusement. "Oh, look. You're finally awake."

Given his expression, Ratchet was obviously proud of himself. Storm, however, wasn't so amused; glaring at him malice. "Oh, you thought that was _soooo_ funny, huh, Ratchet?"

The tone of Storm's voice was enough to make Ratchet's eyes widen in fear. _He had made a grave mistake_. He turned away in retreat and Storm leapt from the ground after him, chasing after the fleeing medic with the intent to exact her revenge against him. She picked up a wrench in her war path, oblivious to the sounds of the med bay door opening behind her as she chased after the Autobot medic; all the while screaming out threats.

"Get back here, Ratchet!...Once I get my hands on you I'm taking you back to Requiem and rewiring you into a freaking toaster!...Not even Optimus will recognize you once I'm done!"

Suddenly, Storm leapt into the air, using her gravitational manipulator to boost her off the ground and onto Ratchet's head. She gripped onto him tight as he began to struggle, hoisting the wrench in her possession above her head to bring it down on the yellow medic's head...that was when she spotted Optimus standing in the corner of the room, arms crossed over his chest with a look of amusement plastered all over his face.

Storm stopped in her tracks, dropping the wrench to the ground awkwardly as she tried to explain her actions. "...Optimus...I promise you that this is _not_ what it looks like..."

Ratchet froze with fear hearing Storm's words. He slowly turned around to face his Prime, holding his hands up in his defense. "Prime...we can explain..."

The Autobot leader dropped his arms from over his chest with a chuckle, proceeding to make his way towards the pair on the opposite end of the med bay as Ratchet plucked the Forerunenr female gently from the top of his head, placing her within his open palm.

The pair's fear must have been obvious in their expressions as Optimus quickly attempted to quell it. "Do not worry. Neither of you are in trouble...I simply came to speak with Storm if she was online."

Storm scowled, pointing behind her to Ratchet with a clawed thumb; her voice filled with annoyance. "I am now thanks to _somebody_ pushing me out of my bed. Hence as to why you walked in on me trying to beat him half to death with a wrench."

The yellow medic rubbed at the back of his neck with his free hand in nervousness. _Storm had sold him out to his leader_. He averted his gaze from Optimus and if Ratchet could have went pale in that moment, he would have.

"Despite these circumstances, are you feeling better, Storm?" Optimus asked.

Storm nodded, swinging her legs back and forth lazily off the edge of Ratchet's palm. "Yes, thankfully...Is Sam still here by any chance?"

"I'm afraid not." Optimus said. "The human government forced him to return to his residence shortly after you fell into recharge."

Her heart sank. Had Storm known that the boy would have been forced to return yesterday, she would have fought the call of sleep. It was all the more reason for her to get out this damnable place and it seemed that Optimus had read her mind.

"You will see him again soon, Storm." He said. "This is why I came to speak to you as Ratchet is releasing you now that you're vitals are back to normal... Before you depart, however, I have a proposition for you."

Storm tilted her head questioningly. "Okay...What's this 'proposition' you have for me?"

"The humans have offered a treaty to the Autobots and I and they have extended the same offer to you...if you're willing, of course." He said.

She was surprised to say the least. "Is my decision time sensitive?" She asked.

Optimus shook his head. "No. Your decision is not required as of this moment. The humans will not have our permanent base prepared until two Earth days from now...Now. I believe Ratchet has some questions for you."

Storm turned in the Autobot medic's palm to look at him, one eyebrow raised at him in confusion as he spoke. "Storm, did you know that you've been emitting a bio-metric signature suspiciously close to that of Optimus'?"

Her eyes went wide. "Uh...no? What do you mean I've been giving off a Cybertronian signature?"

The Autobot medic raised his arm, a holographic representation of the signal's wavelength and Optimus' hovering side by side above it for her to see. She examined them closely, comparing the two for several moments before directing her attention to the Autobot leader with narrowed eyes.

"Did you know about this?" She asked.

Optimus nodded to her in affirmation. "Yes."

Storm turned her attention back towards the holographic representations of her and Optimus' bio-metric signature. She crossed her arms over her chest, deep in thought as she stared at the projections. She was perplexed to say the least. She hadn't sensed this signature herself and given the physical evidence he was showing her, she knew that Ratchet wasn't lying. That was when she remembered something.

"I think I may have an explanation as to what's going on." She said. "A long time ago, with the help of Eternal, I developed a device that would mask my Forerunner appearance, allowing me to blend in with the native species of whatever planet I'm on. This is how I appeared to be human and to be wearing human clothing when in reality, it was simply a sort of projection over my combat skin that I wear beneath my armor."

"Now-" Storm continued. "- this 'camouflage device', as I've dubbed it, can be activated automatically as well as manually should I happen to come into physical contact with another species."

She proceeded to hold up her right hand, pointing over at Optimus. "The first time I encountered Bumblebee at Bolivia's dealership, I believe my device cross-referenced it's database and registered him as an un-identified species, attempting to scan him so that I could blend in as a Cybertronian. However, my device couldn't physically deduce a way for me to camouflage myself as a vehicle like your species given that my body can't shift and transform like your's can so it aborted the scan."

"Once inside Optimus' truck cab I believe my device, detecting the un-known species once again, attempted to complete the scan. My Ancilla did it's best to process the information it received from the scan and to translate it in a way that the device could understand, mimicking the only thing it could. _A Cybertronian bio-metric signature_. Instead of replicating the signature with it's own specific coding , however, I believe that in the confusion my device malfunctioned and instead ended up borrowing Optimus' signature."

Ratchet and Optimus shared a serious look with each other. What she was saying was plausible. Her duty to The Mantle could require her to interact with other sentient life should the circumstances deem it necessary and that could also mean travelling to another species' planet. Her device was important to keep her safe if the species she was interacting with had violent tendencies.

It made sense to him now as to why she had hidden her appearance from Sam as well as the human population. Their species was known to be violent and implusive, quick to defend themselves against anything they perceived as threat with physical harm; a risk she couldn't take.

The Autobot medic tapped at his chin in thought. He would need to invent a device that would mask the strange signature as his evidence was enough to prove that she couldn't control it's emission. _It was dangerous_. Not just for her but for Optimus as well should a Decepticon pick up on the signal and decide to follow it.

He turned to look at his leader. "I am going to begin development of a device that should mask Storm's bio-metric signature and hide her from any stray Decepticons but if I do, it will hide her signature from us as well, Prime."

Optimus nodded to Ratchet in understanding. "It could be dangerous for this device to hide her signal from us in terms of her safety...but it would be even more dangerous for her without it."

"So, am I free to go home and aggravate Sam now?" Storm asked with a hint of impatience

The Autobot leader turned to look at her with a smile. "If Ratchet has no more questions for you, then you are free to go whenever you wish."

Storm turned to look at Ratchet for confirmation and he waved her off in a "shooing" motion. Neither he nor Optimus could miss the look of excitement that plastered itself on the Forerunner's face as she leapt from the yellow medic's palm. She landed flat-footed on the concrete below and willed forward her protective mask in one swift motion.

She crossed her arms across her chest in an "X" pattern, one hand placed on each shoulder as she willed open a slip-space portal behind her. The swirling mass of energy gently lifted her off the ground, pulling her into the black, inky void until she could no longer be seen and closing behind her.

The other end of the portal opened to reveal familiar surroundings. _Her home_. She dropped out gracefully onto her hardwood floors and the portal closed behind her. She phased away her protective armor from over her body, leaving her in only her combat skin as she glanced out he living room window towards Sam's home.

As much as she wished to see him, she was _desperate_ for a shower; to wash away the sweat and grime that had accumulated on her skin in battle. She proceeded up the stairs of her home and into the bathroom adjacent to her bedroom where she removed her combat skin. It unraveled itself from around her body into a compact bundle that she placed onto her bathroom counter.

Once she was finished with her quick shower, she dried her hair, deciding to forego her normal bun in favor of letting all of her thigh-length hair cascade down her back and legs. She put back on her combat skin before activating her camouflage device to hide her stark Forerunner features.

She made her way out of her room and back downstairs, exiting her home and making her short trek to Sam's. She took immediate notice as she entered the boy's yard that Ron and Judy's vehicles were absent and Storm breathed out a sigh of relief. She wouldn't have to explain to the pair why Sam and Mikaela had arrived home before her.

That was when she spotted Bumblebee in the open garage. She squealed, running towards the Autobot scout and flopping onto his hood with excitement. She sprawled her arms out across his hood in the best hug she could offer as she yelled. "Bee! Oh, I missed you _so much_ while I was locked up at Fort Knoxx!"

The drivers side door to his alt-mode popped open and a warbled laugh emerged from his radio. " **Good to see you too...little lady.** "

"So, where's Sam?" Storm asked as she stood.

His staticky voice said only one word in response to her question. "Upstairs". She rubbed her hands together devilishly, wiggling her eyebrows at Bumblebee playfully before turning towards the door of the garage that was adjacent to Sam's home causing the yellow scout to laugh. _The Forerunner was up to something_.

As she walked into the home, Storm scanned the lower floor with her eyes to find the chestnut-haired boy but he was nowhere to be seen. She turned her attention towards the upper floor. _She could hear music_. She followed the sound up the stairs to the second floor of Sam's home. The music was coming from the boy's room, blaring so loud that she could barely hear herself think as she placed her hand on the knob of his door, twisting it open and shouting into the noisy room.

"Sam! Turn this shit down! My ears..."

Storm trailed off, stopped in her tracks by what she saw before her. Mikaela was sitting on top of Sam, the pair kissing intimately. Her eyes went wide and she quickly shut the door to his room as the pair jumped up in visible shock being caught in their romantic moment.

Sam rushed across his room to his stereo system to shut off his music, doing so in just enough time to hear Storm's frantic shouting from the other side of his bedroom door. "Oh my God, Sam!...I can't-I...I need bleach! I need bleach for my eyes!"

The boy threw open his door. "Stormy, God, I...I'm _so_ sorry, we- we didn't think you'd be back so soon!"

"I cant believe you, Sam! You left me back in alien Alcatraz so you could come home and do the hanky-panky?!" She teased. "You are the worst friend _ever_!"

The chestnut-haired boy flushed with embarrassment, dropping his head into his hands as Storm turned away and began walking down his hallway. He raised his head several moments later to apologize to an equally as flustered looking Mikaela. It seems they'd both been embarrassed by the alien woman's impromptu visit.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, Sam. I _really_ do need that bleach." Storm said jokingly over her shoulder.

She made her way down the stairs to his home and into the kitchen. She opened the cabinet where she knew Sam hid his candy before taking it and making her way into the living room where she sat down and the boy's sofa and proceeded to grab the television remote off of his coffee table.

She turned on the t.v before directing her attention to the second floor and yelling up at her friend. "Quit sucking face and get down her to play some video games with me, Samantha!"

Though he was annoyed with her, Sam would be lying if he said that he hadn't been worried for Storm, that she might not survive the All-Spark's destruction; ready to sacrifice herself for Optimus and without hesitation. It felt surreal for him to see her here now, sitting on his couch with a gaming controller in one hand and a handful of his secret stash of snack food that she'd somehow managed to find in the other.

He smiled softly. He was happy that she was home.

* * *

 **Yeah, another chapter done! I am seriously on a roll.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Just to let everyone know in advance, I won't be uploading tomorrow nor this weekend. My migraine is getting progressively worse. I'm going to try and nurse it and hope that it's gone by Monday so that I can return to uploading.**

 **Plus, it'll give me some extra days to plan out the idea for the next chapter that I have rolling around in my head. I hope you all don't mind this too much.**

* * *

Loud. It was much too loud, a high-pitched ringing noise drawing her slowly out of a deep sleep. She rolled over in her bed, propping herself up onto her elbows before reaching out her hand out to the sound. Her cellphone. She brought the electronic device towards her and opened her eyes, quickly narrowing them as the light from her room invaded them. It was _much_ too bright. She should have closed her curtains before falling asleep.

She reluctantly opened her eyes once again, looking to see who it was calling her. It was Sam. She looked towards the digital clock on her bedside table to check the time. It was early in the morning. _Very early_. At least for her, it was. She was a night owl, a side effect of her inability to acclimate to the day and night cycles of Earth which were vastly different from her home world.

She looked back down at her phone, groaning out in annoyance as she swiped the screen, placing it up to her ear and speaking into it. "Ugh...What, Sam?"

The chestnut-haired boy scoffed hearing Storm's tone, responding to her with thick sarcasm. " _Wow_. You're just a ray of sunshine in the morning's, aren't you? What are you even doing still asleep, Stormy? It's like, almost twelve in the afternoon."

Sam's response annoyed her. She wanted to chuck her phone at the wall in anger but she couldn't afford a new one if it were broken, only able to think in that moment that she'd much rather be asleep than dealing with Sam and his sarcasm.

She resisted the urge to throw her phone, responding to the boy's question with audible vexation. "Well, un-like some people, _Sam_. I didn't get good sleep last night. But at least I wasn't up all night doing the nasty with Mikaela and sneaking her out of my house early this morning."

Storm couldn't help but chuckle as the sounds of choked-up coughing came from the other side of the phone. Sam knew he'd been caught. The boy was silent for several moments, gathering his composure before responding to Storm's comments with suspicion. "How do you know that I snuck her out this morning?"

She threw her thick blankets away from her body as she sat up, crossing her legs at the ankles as she responded to Sam's question. There'd be no way for her to get back to sleep now so she might as well stay up. "Super advanced hearing, Sam. It's one of the perks...Now, what possessed you to call me this early?"

She could hear the noises of Sam pouring himself a bowl of cereal as he responded to her, the thought of food making her stomach growl. "Because Mikaela wants me to go shopping with her today and I need my wingman to come with me."

The fact that Sam had called her his "wingman" caused Storm to bark out a laugh. "I mean, I'll go with you but last time I checked I wasn't a man, Sam."

What Sam said next genuinely surprised Storm, his retort to her un-expected. "No, but you act like a man sometimes. You eat like one, too."

Storm was taken aback. Sam's comeback was good. Almost _too_ good considering who it'd came from. "You are _so_ mean, Sam!...Anyways, I'll go ahead and get ready and meet you at your house."

He responded to Storm through a mouthfull of cereal and she told him good-bye, hanging up the phone and tossing it on her bed before standing up and making her way towards her bathroom to brush her teeth and hair, placing her long locks into a bun with some of her bangs left down to frame her face.

She quickly made her way downstairs once she was finished and out of her home towards Sam's, cursing herself silently for not asking the boy if Ron and Judy were home. What would she tell them if they asked her where she'd been? She began thinking of ideas, assuming that telling them she was stuck behind signing a seemingly endless stack of non-disclosure agreements was a good enough excuse as any if the boy had confessed to his parents what happend. She just hoped that in his explanation, Sam hadn't told them of her "secret", as well. She didn't want to scare them. Sam had been accepting of her true identity. She couldn't guarantee his parents would be the same.

She continued trudging on towards Sam's yard, immediately spotting his parents cars in the driveway. Ron and Judy were both home. Anxiety began to well up within her as she entered Sam's home, calling out her friend's name which drew the attention of his parents. They bombarded her with questions, the top on their list being why she hadn't come home at the same time as Sam. She gave them her already planned out excuse in response and they accepted it with no questions. It seemed that Sam had omitted her Forerunner origins in his admission of the events during Mission City.

No longer being bombarded with questions, Storm turned to where she heard the sounds of Sam dropping his now empty bowl of cereal into his kitchen sink for later washing, walking over to the front door of his home as he spoke to her. "You ready to go, Stormy?"

Storm nodded to him, walking to the front door of his home and opening it with a mischeivous smile. "Always, Samantha."

The boy huffed in exasperation of his friend's less than enjoyable nickname for him as he followed her out of his home, shutting the door behind him on his way out. The pair walked over into the open garage of his home where Bumblebee resided and Storm tapped on the roof of his alt-mode lightly as she spoke.

"Open up, Bee. I desperately need to get to the mall so I can get mysef some mall court food." She said.

Sam barked out a laugh as Bumblebee popped open his doors for them. Now he knew why Storm had agreed to go with him. Mall court food was something that she'd never been able to resist. In her words, it was like "crack".

He watched the woman as she proceeded to climb into the passenger side of Bumblebee's alt-mode, the yellow scout shutting the door behind her before placing his seatbelt over her for protection. He was under strict orders to protect her and to keep an eye on her. Optimus wished for the Forerunner female to be protected given the signal she'd been emitting as she couldn't control it, making her exceptionally vulnerable.

Sam placed his keys into Bumblebee's ignition and his engine started up in response, the yellow scout backing out of the garage and onto the paved road adjacent to it as Storm spoke up to Sam with a question. "So, are we picking up Mikaela?"

Sam shook his head in denial of Storm's question, keeping his eyes trained on the road before him as he explained to her that they would be meeting up with Mikaela at the mall. However, it seemed that Storm wasn't able to handle the lengthy ride, speaking to Sam with impatience many minutes later.

"Ugh. Are we there yet, Sam?" She asked.

Sam grunted in a mixture of disbelief and annoyance before realizing that his friend was trying to annoy him on purpose. He kept his composure, answering Storm calmly. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing him flustered. "No, Storm. We're only five minutes away from the mall. Just be patient."

Storm snickered to herself. No matter how much he was trying to hide it, she knew that she was getting on his nerves and she was enjoying every minute of it. After all, she had to make up for lost time due to her being stuck at the Hoover Dam for days.

She proceeded to fake sadness, puffing out her bottom lip for dramatic effect. "Ugh, But, Sam! I'm hungry!"

Sam snortled to himself in amusement. "You're _always_ hungry, Stormy. That's nothing new."

The woman barked out a laugh as Sam pulled into the parking lot of the mall. The boy was right. Her metabolism was vastly different from that of humans, requiring more food in order for her body to function properly. This made her hungry far more often and in need of larger amounts of sustenance.

The boy pulled his keys from Bumblebee's ignition and the yellow scout shut off his engine as Storm surveyed the area around them for Mikaela. The onyx-haired female was nowhere to be seen so she turned to Sam, speaking up to him with a question. "Where's Mikaela?"

The chestnut-haired boy told her that he would text the female to find out and she exited from Bumblebee's alt-mode, Sam following soon after. That was when Sam's phone went off. Mikaela was waiting for them in the food court. Storm rubbed her hands together devilishly. The onyx-haired female was waiting for them in the one place that she'd been anticipating all day.

The Forerunner took off towards the entrance of the mall with reckless abandon, laughing wildly the entire way causing Bumblebee's spark to fill with amusement. Storm had a wild personality and it was something he and the Autobots enjoyed, something they found highly infectious.

Sam, however, was not so amused by the woman's display. He chased after the rambunctious female with haste, yelling out for her to wait. His plea's fell on deaf ears as Bumblebee watched the pair intently, the yellow scout failing to notice that his optics weren't the only one's focused on Storm.

...

Once Sam had finally caught up with Storm, the pair took an elevator up to the second floor, the chestnut-haired boy scanning the expanse of the food court with his eyes for Mikaela. It didn't take him long to spot her. He seperated himself from Storm's side and ran up to the onyx-haired female, spinning her around in a playful embrace.

Storm snickered to herself as she watched the display. She wanted in on this. She ran up to the pair and wrapped the pair in a three-way hug whilst yelling out happily. "Group hug!"

She squeezed the pair tight, doing so hard enough that should she have tightened her grip on them any further, the pair were sure that their eyes would have popped out of their sockets. Sam wiggled in her grasp, managing to free his left arm from the Forerunner's death grip before tapping frantically at her shoudler. He was suffocating.

"...Storm...can't...breathe..." He said breathlessly.

Storm quickly let go of the two and they breathed in deep, filling their lungs with the oxygen she didn't know she'd been depriving them of. Once she was sure they were okay, Storm turned around, making her towards her precious food that she'd been craving all morning. That was when Sam stopped her.

"We've got shopping to do first, Stormy." He said

She turned back around to face Sam and groaned out in annoyance, her expression saying everything. She was hungry now and didn't want to wait. She reluctantly followed after the pair, however, mumbling to herself under her breath about paying Sam back as she sulked. She was going to secretly switch out his regular shampoo and conditioner for hair bleach and neon pink dye when he wasn't home.

She followed behind the pair absent-mindedly into a clothing store and Storm stopped immediately in her tracks, her nose crinkling up in disgust. Everything around her was pastel, bright shades of colors. She looked down at herself. She stuck out like a sore thumb here. Though it was merely a projection over her combat skin, she was clad in all black, her favorite color invented by humans.

She followed after her friend's regardless, taking immediate notice of Sam's posture and expression once she'd caught up with them. The boy was obviously un-comfortable, his face a deep shade of red due to embarrassment and as Storm looked around her, she realized why. They were standing in the female undergarments section.

Storm smirked devilishly, slapping her friend on the shoulder in a gesture of teasing as Mikaela held up a few articles of undergarments to him, asking him his opinion of them. The chestnut-haired boy floundered over the question, stuttering heavily before eventually choking on air.

This earned him a glare from the woman, the onyx-haired female turning to Storm in order to get her answer. "What about you, Storm? Which one do you think is cuter?"

She eyed the small article of human undergarments with confusion, one eyebrow raised as she answered the female's question. "Uh...where's the rest of it?"

Her response earned Storm a matching glare to that of her friend, Mikaela slapping a hand to her forehead in exasperation. "You guy's are _literally_ the worst. I might as well have come by myself."

Storm began to laugh as Sam once again choked on air. Whether it was in embarrassment or amusement of her comments, she didn't know. But she found it highly amusing. She responded to the female, doing so in-between her laughs. "What? It's not my fault! I've never understood why human clothing is so sparse, I can't help!"

Mikaela gave up at that point on finding underwear, leading the pair with her into an adjacent clothing store, instead. As soon as Storm walked in, she spotted something that drew her attention. It was a dark gray, floor-length dress with half-sleeves that was intricately embroidered with flowers made of silver and orange thread. The color scheme reminded her of her armor.

Mikaela and Sam had noticed Storm's sudden absence and stopped to find her, spotting her behind them staring at a dress. The onyx-haired female approached her, looking to her with knowing. She liked this dress.

"That's pretty." Mikaela said.

Storm nodded in agreement with her. "Yeah...it is."

Mikaela hadn't missed the look of un-certainty on the Forerunner's face as she examined the article of clothing before her. She was contemplating on buying it, this much was easy to see. "Why don't you get it, Storm? It'd look really good on you."

Storm chuckled lowly. "Even if I did I'd never be able to wear it...My combat skin is vital to my survival so I can't take it off for any longer than what's absolutely neccessary and my people don't wear coverings such as this. At least, we haven't in many millenia. The Flood put a stop to that long ago."

Mikaela couldn't help but feel saddened hearing Storm's response. The parasitic species that had invaded her home world's was the sole reason for her people's abandoment of actual clothing. She felt guilty for asking now. She turned to her with a smile despite this. She was going to get the dress for Storm whether she could wear it or not. After all, every girl deserves a nice dress. Even alien one's.

She waited for Sam to distract the Forerunner before quickly taking it off the rack and up to the counter to pay for it, having it placed into a gift box and an opaque bag to conceal it. Mikaela approached them with the secret gift in hand. "Alright, let's keep going."

Storm followed after Mikaela, spending many hours more in the mall helping the female find clothes she liked. But not without picking up every object along the way, using them to make inappropriate, perverted jokes to embarrass Sam. And it worked. She swore that her friend was going to kill over, even more so when she'd managed to find a pool noodle, pretending to be an elephant in the middle of the mall for all to see. She had no shame.

Once Mikaela was finally done shopping, the trio made their way back towards their origin point of the food court and Storm thanked her lucky stars. She was starving and wasted no time in ordering a large amount of food. It was enough that they barely had any room at their window-side table, causing Sam to comment on her amount of food and that it was "enough to feed an enitre army". She simply ignored Sam's comments, far to hungry to care about his opinion in this moment.

As she ate, an un-easy feeling began to form her chest. Something didn't feel right...it felt like she was being watched. She glanced out the large window at her side, spotting an expensive silver car driving away from the mall that didn't fit in with those around it. It was...different.

She brushed off this sensation as she finished her food, assuming that she was simply being paranoid as she stood up alongside Sam and Mikaela, throwing away her trash. They took the same elevator back down to the first floor of the mall and made their way into the parking lot.

Storm climbed into Bumblebee's alt-mode as Sam helped Mikaela shove her many bags into the trunk of her compact vehicle, lost to her thoughts and un-able to push away the nagging sensation in her chest. She was going to bring up the suspicious silver vehicle to the Autobot scout once they got back to Sam's house.

She turned her attention to the driver's side door of Bumblebee's alt-mode when she heard it open to see Sam. It seemed he and Mikaela had finally managed to wrestle the onyx-haired female's many bags into her car.

He put his keys into Bumblebee's ignition and they set off towards Sam home, Storm giving once last glance towards where the silver car had disappeared to.

...

Once they'd finally arrived back at Sam's residence, Storm dismissed the pair, telling them to go inside and that she would follow behind them soon; leaving Storm alone in the garage with Bumblebee.

She closed the garage door and turned to the Autobot scout once the coast was clear. "Hey, Bee? Could you transform for a second?"

The yellow scout obliged the Forerunner. He transformed slowly within the small confines of Sam's garage to avoid damaging anything, looking down at her questioningly as she spoke up to him. "Did you happen to notice anything strange at the mall?"

Bumblebee nodded to her in agreement. " **Signal...followed...Decepti...con...** "

What Bumblebee said justified Storm's earlier paranoia. Un-beknownst to her, she'd been wearing Optimus' signature at some point. She had no doubts in her mind that the only thing that'd saved them and the humans in the mall was that that this Decepticon hadn't gotten close enough to find out that she was the source. She'd need to be more careful from now on. At least until Ratchet developed a device to mask Optimus' bio-metric signature.

Storm stood up on the tips of her toes, hugging Bumblebee's face to the best of her ability given their size difference. "Let's hope Ratchet gets that device made soon or I'm going to have to put myself on quarantine...Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to aggravate Sam and Mikaela a little bit."

Bumblebee reciprocated her hug, doing so gently to avoid harming her. He watched as the female pulled back from him with a smile, walking towards the garage door adjacent to Sam's home and opening it, yelling into it with a joking statement. "You guys better not be doing the hanky-panky on the couch!"

Her comments earned her a yell back from Sam, the boy calling them "inappropriate. She looked back at Bumblebee, grinning widely as she wiggled her eyebrows at him playfully before turning back around and walking into Sam's home, shutting the door behind her.

He transformed back down to his alt-mode as he listened in to the sounds of Storm yelling at Sam to play video games with her. He chuckled. Primus help the Autobots should Storm decided to align with NEST. She would surely stir things up for them and keep them on their peds.

* * *

 **Holy crap, I'm worn out after writing this chapter. I think most of it is due to me not feeling good, though.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **I'm back though unfortunately, I still have a migraine. I'd managed to get it to ease off to the point that it was almost gone until I woke up this morning. So, it's back. I may not upload Tuesday depending on how long it takes me to write this chapter (if you're reading this then I managed to get it finished early) but I'll do my best.**

 **Now, in this chapter, Storm will be displaying what may seem like telekinetic abilities but I assure you, this is only the gravity manipulator of her suit/Ancilla. The Didact was displayed having this ability as he was able to constrain the Master Chief at one point without physically touching him.**

 **So, I decided to give Storm the same ability of constraint fields. This way she will have the ability to pick up/manipulate objects from a distance, constrain people, etc.**

* * *

The sounds of her alarm clock resounded throughout the room, waking Storm from her comfortable slumber. She slowly reached over to the annoying device and slammed her hand down on it's surface, shutting it off with a loud crack as it gave way underneath her hand. She immediately snapped her eyes opened towards the sound and raised her hand, cursing herself lowly underneath her breath. She'd just broken her clock.

She sneered in annoyance before standing, picking up a nearby trashcan and scooping the remains of her digital clock into it. She couldn't salvage the human made device and now, the only thing she had left to wake her up in the morning was her cellphone. God forbid she break that, too.

Storm refused to mourn the loss of the device any longer. After all, it wouldn't bring it back. She stretched her arms above her head, breathing in deep before walking over to her bathroom to start her morning routine. She brushed her teeth, placing her hair into a convenient bun once she was finished, leaving some of her bangs down to frame her face.

She walked out of her bathroom and was startled when her cellphone began to ring, jumping from the sound. She picked it up off her bedside table and looked at the screen. Sam was calling her. She swiped the screen and placed it up to her ear.

"Hey, Sam. What's up?" Storm said.

Her friend answered her happily. "Hey, Stormy. I was wondering if you'd want to grab something to eat with Mikaela and I?"

She didn't hesitate to agree. She'd decided last night after much thought that she was going to join NEST with Optimus. And that meant this was the last day she'd have to spend time with Sam and Mikaela. She was going to do her best to make the most of it.

"Sure, Sammy. I'll be over in a few minutes. Is Mikaela already there?" She asked.

She heard the sounds of Sam's television turning on as he answered her, assaulting her ears harshly. "No, but she'll be here soon."

Storm's stomach growled loudly at the thought of food. "Alright. I'm on my way."

She said her good-bye's before hanging up, placing her cellphone back in it's spot on her bedside table before walking out of her room and downstairs to her front door. She opened it, closing it behind her before setting off towards Sam's home.

She walked into his home and immediately spotted Sam on his couch watching television. He hadn't heard her enter. She gently closed the door to his home without a sounds, tip-toeing over towards her friend. She leapt over the back of his couch and plopped down at his side as she yelled. "Hey, Sammy!"

The boy screamed out in shock, causing Storm to belt out in laughter. Sam wasn't so amused, however. his expression fell as he turned to her, glaring at her in annoyance. "That was _so_ not funny, Storm."

She wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes as she turned to him. She begged to disagree. "Oh, it was _very_ funny, Sam."

Her friend didn't agree with her, this much was easy to tell. She watched him as he turned his attention back toward the television with an un-amused expression. She followed his gaze, quickly becoming bored. She'd never shared in the humans love for mindlessly watching an electronic box all day.

"You want to play some video games?" She asked.

Sam nodded to her in agreement before reaching for the remote and changing the input of his television. He stood from the couch, walking over to the game console that rested near his television and turned it on. He grabbed two controllers, walking back over to Storm and sitting back down beside her, handing her one.

She took it from excitedly as he started up a game, leaning forward in her seat. She was ready. IT seemed that Sam wasn't, however, becoming frustrated with Storm as they played. She was beating him. "That's not fair, Storm! You're using your alien mojo to cheat!"

Storm scoffed in disbelief at what Sam was implying. She wasn't using her "alien mojo" in the slightest. Sam just wasn't as good at video games as she was. "I am not, Sam! If you want cheating, I'll show you _cheating_!"

She slapped the controller out of his hands and it hit the wooden flooring below hard. Her friend began to curse at her for her actions and she snickered, securing the last few points she needed to win against him, much to his displeasure.

She leapt up from the couch in celebration, jumping up and down with excitement, her arms raised above her head. She soon stopped once she heard the sounds of knocking at Sam's door, watching as the boy walked over and opened it to reveal Mikaela. She placed her controller down on the coffee table in-front of her before coming to stand at Sam's side, following him and Mikaela out of the home.

The entered his garage and Bumblebee popped his doors open for them. Storm climbed into the back of his alt-mode, Mikaela and Sam taking up the front. She placed her seatbelt over her as Sam put his keys into Bumblebee's ignition, driving out of his yard and onto the paved road adjacent to it.

Storm didn't know where they were going, but she was ready to finally get some food in her nagging stomach.

...

Once they'd arrived, Storm exited from Bumblebee's alt-mode, her senses being bombarded the smell of food. He mouth instantaneously beginning to water in response. Whatever she was smelling, it smelled _good_. Her stomach growled loudly, drawing Sam and Mikaela's attention with a laugh.

She followed after them into the restaurant and they were quickly seated by their waiter, all being handed menu's. Storm was skimming over her menu when she noticed Mikaela's eyes go wide with fear from her peripherals. She looked up to her before following her gaze. She snarled. Trent was sitting across the restaurant from them, thankfully too preocupied with his female company seated opposite of him to notice them.

Storm turned back to Mikaela, a deadly expression on her face as she spoke. "Don't worry, Mikaela. He won't do anything if I'm here. I won't let him."

The onyx-haired female seemed comforted by her words as their waiter approached once more, handing them their drinks before taking their orders and eventually their menu's. Storm continued to keep a close eye on Trent as they waited for their food and once it arrived, she tore her gaze away from him, beginning to salivate.

She wasted not time in diving into her plate, groaning out in happiness as her taste buds were flooded by the savory flavor of her meal. Her un-expected noises caused Sam and Mikaela to look at her, the boy speaking up to her with amusement. "Make love to it why don't you, Storm."

She looked up from her plate to him with narrowed eyes, faking a laugh with thick sarcasm as she raised up one of her digits to him. Her middle finger. Mikaela almost spit out her food seeing Storm do this. The Forerunner wasn't phased, however, turning her attention back towards her plate to satisfy her stomach.

"Well, well. Look who it is."

Storm immediately froze hearing those words, dropping her fork into her plate as a low clicking sound came from the back of her throat. She stood up without hesitation to face the sound of the familiar voice, coming face to face with Trent, a smug look plastered on his face.

"I think you should leave, Trent." Storm said, spitting out his name with venom.

He comments didn't phase Trent. He simply smirked at her, peeking around her much smaller form to Sam. "Wow, Sam. You're letting a girl fight your battles now?...Hey, tell me something. How does it feel to be with used goods?"

Storm's blood felt like it was boiling in her veins. Trent was a bully. And she didn't tolerate bullies. This human didn't know who he was messing with. She stayed calm, hiding her hands behind her back as she activated her constraint field around Trent's half-eaten plate of food and almost empty glass of drink across the room.

Neither Sam nor Mikaela missed this, watching as she moved her hands and fingers behind her back in a methodical manner, Trent's plate and cup floating over to them seemingly of their own volition. The Forerunner was obviously up to something, none of them knowing exactly what her plans were until it was already too late.

Storm spoke up to Trent with a deadly under-tone, a sickly sweet smile plastered on her face. "You really should have stayed in your seat, _human_."

The plate and cup that were surrounded in a wavering orange light dropped from the air and onto Trent's head with a simple flick of her fingers. Everyone gasped aside from Storm, the entirety of the resturant's patrons in visible shock over the paranormal instance, not knowing that she was the cause.

Trent's face flushed red and he turned around with anger to find who it was that'd dumped his meal and drink on him. His skin instantly went pale with fear as he was met with the sight of no-one, the space behind him empty. He turned back to Storm, now sporting a terrified expression as he began to flounder over his words, slinging insults and curses at her as he made his way out of the restaurant.

His dinner date ran after him and Storm sat back down at her table with Sam and Mikaela to finish her meal now that Trent had been dealt with. She grabbed her fork, looking up to the onyx-haired female with a smirk. "Told you I wouldn't let him doing anything."

"How did you do that, Storm? That was amazing!" Sam and Mikaela said in unison.

Storm shrugged her shoulders with non-chalance. "My Ancilla can manipulate more than just the gravity around me, you know. My people called it a Constraint Field."

"Why didn't you do something that with Trent at the lake? Except, y'know, with a rock." Sam asked.

Storm brought her fork to her mouth, taking a bite of her food before answering Sam's question. "Because part of my duty to The Mantle is to not harm anyone unless provoked first, but I can get away with spilling a little bit of food on him...I like to call it Chaotic Neutrallity. You know, getting revenge without hurting Trent, as much as I'd _love_ to punch him in the face."

Sam and Mikaela belted out in laughter hearing Storm admit that she wanted to punch Trent, turning their attention towards their plates to finish their food. Once finished, Sam began to grab his wallet, obviously intending to pay for everyone but Storm stopped him.

"Uh-uh. I've got mine." She said.

Sam looked at her with confusion. "With what money? You're an alien."

Storm simply smirked at him. She placed her hands under the table, phasing in an object out of Sam and Mikaela's sight before raising it up for them to see. It was a credit card. The boy's confused expression was only furthered seeing this.

"How do you have a credit card, Stormy? You don't even have an ID." Sam asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well...let's just say that it's a gift from someone."

Sam raised an eyebrow at her. "Like the military?"

Storm barked out a laugh, shaking her head to him in denial of his question. "The people that gave me this card make your military look like cavemen in comparison."

Sam was astonished and it showed on his face...Who the hell did Storm know that would make their military look like neanderthals? He didn't dare ask out of fear, letting the woman pay for her meal as he payed for Mikaela's and his own.

Once Storm had her credit card back in her possession, she phased it away out of sight of those around her, following Sam and Mikaela out to where Bumblebee was waiting on them. They climbed into his alt-mode, Storm taking up her previous position of the back seat.

Sam placed his keys into Bumblebee's ignition and the yellow scout started up his engine, the chestnut-haired boy driving them off back towards his home.

...

Storm felt a crushing sadness build within her chest as they pulled into Sam's driveway. The sun was beginning to set. Her last day with Sam and Mikaela was almost over. She reluctanly exited from Bumblebee's alt-mode once Mikaela had vacated the seat in-front of her, breathing out a deep sigh.

She turned to Sam, speaking up to him with audible sadness. "I guess I should get home, Sammy. It's getting dark and I need to get some rest before tomorrow."

Sam deflated. He didn't want her to go, but he knew that she had to. She'd be leaving tomorrow for NEST to join Optimus and the Autobots. He came up to her, wrapping her in a tight hug as he spoke. "You'll come see me before you have to leave tomorrow, right?"

Storm pulled back from their friendly embrace, nodding to him. "Yeah, Sammy. I promise."

She felt tears begin to well up in the corners of her eyes and she turned away from Sam, not wanting to let him see her weakness. No. She wouldn't let some of her last moments with her friends be of sadness. She wanted to look back on these memories with happiness.

She pushed back her tears, turning back around to face Sam and Mikaela as she yelled out a joking statement to the pair. "You better keep it in your pants while I'm gone, Sam! Because if I come back to any little nieces or nephews running around, so help me, I'll cut off what you made them with!"

Her friend visibly cringed, Mikaela bursting out in laughter as he replied to her threatening comments. "Jesus, Stormy, fine. I'll make sure to be protected."

Storm turned around with a chuckle, throwing a hand over her shoulder to the pair as she walked away. "Bye, Sammy!"

Her short walk to her home was filled with silence, opening her front door and walking in, shutting it behind her. She dropped her camouflage response, walking up her stairs towards her room as she released her hair from it's tight bun.

She threw herself onto her bed without caution, crawling underneath her soft, black comforter and rolling onto her side. She tossed and turned for hours but no matter how hard she try, sleep wouldn't welcome her into it's calming embrace. She sat up in bed and threw her blankets off her with anger, running her fingers through her hair with exasperation. Her brain simply refused to shut down, a mess of never-ending thoughts.

She accepted her inability to sleep and stood from her bed, phasing on her personal armor, including her mask. She crossed her arms over chest, placing a hand on each shoulder as she willed open a slip-space portal. It pulled her off the ground and into it, the other end opening to reveal an empty field full of tall grass and fragrant flowers that was far away from any human civilization.

Storm sat down on the ground as she watched a slip-space portal belonging to The Warden open before her. She patted the ground beside her as she stared up at him without speaking. The Promethean titan understood what his leader was asking of him. She wished for him to accompany her in her moment of restlessness just as he used to do on Requiem.

The Warden layed down beside her in the thick, Earthen foliage, silent as his watched the stars with his leader. They were highly visible in the darkened sky due to the lack of light pollution around them.

"How is everyone back on Requiem?" Storm asked, breaking the silence.

The Promethean titan answered his leader truthfully. "It has been peaceful, just as it always is."

Storm simply hummed in response to The Warden. She preferred it that way, to know that the Promethean's were at peace after them being at war for so long. In her eyes, it didn't matter that they were mearly A.I. created by her people and she knew that should the Forerunner still exist, they would have argued with her over this. But they hadn't seen what she had. They hadn't seen their capability for emotion that she'd been witness to. Fear. Sadness. Compassion. _Love_.

"What about Exuberant Witness?" She asked.

The Warden wasn't the least bit surprised that this was her next question. In fact, he'd expected this as she and the buoyant Ancilla were close. "She speaks of you often, Tempest. She has missed you in your long-term absence."

Eternal's words saddened her. She hadn't meant to stay away from her homeworld for so long, but between the UNSC and now NEST, her hands had been tied. She'd sacrificed all time she had for herself to serve the needs of the many for the betterment of the universe in her duty to The Mantle.

"Tell Exuberant that I'll come see her once I have the time. Things just haven't been going to plan, unfortunately, but when do they ever?"

He didn't have to answer his leader's question as she already knew the answer. Things never went according to plan with them. He watched her as she stood from her spot, walking over to his horizontal form. She climbed on top of him, laying down directly in the center of his chest before breathing out a heavy, metal-tinged sigh as she directed her gaze towards the sky above her.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Tempest?" The Warden asked, knowing that his leader's mind was heavy with thoughts.

Storm chuckled. "Nope. I just want you to lay here and watch the stars with me."

* * *

 **Kind of a sweet, familial bonding moment right there between The Warden and Storm that gives you a glimpse into their relationship.**

 **I'm kind of un-sure about certain aspects of this chapter, though. Specifically the interactions between Storm and Trent so let me know what you guys think. If reception is poor I'll attempt to rewrite this chapter but if recepticon is positive, I'll keep it as is.**

 **Despite this being a short chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it and as always, thank you for reading.**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **I would like to start off by apologizing for my absence yesterday. I'd planned on uploading but I still haven't been feeing well so I decided to take a break. I most likely won't be uploading for the rest of this week including the 25th as I have doctor's appointments coming up to hopefully to try and figure out what's currently wrong with me (if there's anything actually wrong at all).**

 **I hope you all will excuse my continued absence for this week and potentially the next but I assure you, no matter what this story will continue. It just may take me longer to get chapters out than normal.**

 **Now, later in this story Storm will memorize the coordinates for NEST base from Bumblebee. As you all know, this is an easy feat for a Forerunner as an Ancilla will allow it's owner to memorize situations with great detail, easily able to recall these details hundreds of years in the future without error. I chose to have her need these coordinates as I assume an Ancilla would easily have the ability to open a portal to any location if the** **coordinates were already available** **, kind of like alien GPS.**

* * *

Storm groaned out in annoyance as she heard the sudden sound of her cellphone's alarm. She sat up out of her bed, turning her attention to the electronic device on her bedside table. She turned off the blaring noise before directing her attention to the windows of her room. It was daytime and she hadn't slept at all, even with The Warden's company.

Her mind was a never-ending mess of thoughts. She didn't want to leave, but she knew that she had to. If not for herself and her people, then for Optimus and his. The Autobots desperately needed the her and the humans as their ally with their numbers being so few. Otherwise, they'd stand no chance against them. And she couldn't in good consciousness let them fight their battle alone nor would her duty to The Mantle let her.

She threw her blankets from off her body and stood out of her bed, making her way over towards her bathroom to start her morning routine, activating the camouflage response of her as she brushed her teeth and hair: placing her long locks into a convenient bun.

She exited her bathroom before making her way downstairs and out of her home to say her final good-bye to Sam. It was cold, the chilled air sleeping into her body through her combat skin. She couldn't push back that sadness that was building in her chest as she walked into his yard, taking immediate notice that neither Ron nor Judy were home, thankfully enough. Their presence would only make her departure that much harder.

She approached the door to his home and opened it, looking around for her friend. She couldn't find him. He ws most likely upstairs in his room, still asleep given how early in the morning it was. She proceeded up the stairs and down the hallway towards his room, stopping just before his door. She raised her hand to his doorknob, sighing heavily with emotion before opening his door softly.

She smiled gently at the sight before her. Sam was still asleep just as she'd suspected, one leg and arm draped off the side of his bed, mouth hanging open. She wished she'd brought her phone with her to capture this moment.

A devious idea passed through her mind as she stood there watching him, a mischievous smile plastering itself on her face. She backed away slowly from his bed as far as she could before running at him full force, leaping onto him and shaking him as hard as she could without physically harming him.

"Wakey Wakey, eggs and baked!" She shouted with excitement.

The boy was startled awake by her sudden shouting and presence above him. He clamored out from underneath her, falling out his bed onto the floor with an audible thud as he screamed, looking around his room frantically.

Storm belted out in hysterical laughter, pointing down at her friend as she spoke in between her laughs. "Oh my God, Sam! You should see your face right now!"

Sam wasn't amused, glaring at her in anger. He looked over to his clock beside his bed and groaned out in annoyance. It was barely six in the morning. "What are you doing here so early, Storm?"

Her laughter stopped upon hearing Sam's question. She directed her gaze to the surface of Sam's bed beneath her, her expression shifting to one of sadness. "I came to say good-bye, Sam...Today's the day I leave for NEST."

Sam's expression change immediately. In his sleep-hazed state, he'd forgotten what day it was. He stood from his place on the floor, sitting down on the edge of his bed next to Storm, sadness lacing his voice. "Oh...You know, Optimus did give you a choice. You don't have to go if you don't want to."

Storm shook her head. "That's the thing, Sam...I have to go. I can't _not_ go."

"When are you leaving?" Her friend asked hesitantly.

She turned to look at him. "As soon as I get the coordinates to NEST from Bumblebee."

She could tell that Sam wasn't happy with her answer as he stood up, watching as he walked over to a chair in his room and picked up his jacket from it, putting it on to protect him from the chilled morning air. This was just as hard for him as it was her.

"Alright...I'll follow you and see you off." He said.

Storm removed herself from Sam's bed, following him through his home to his garage. He opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind him and the alien female once they were inside. She smile softly at Bumblebee as she walked over to him, tapping on the hood of his alt-mode with her fist. It was a gesture he understood.

The yellow scout began to transform slowly in the confines of Sam's garage, crouching down gently over Storm. He stared down at her as she placed her hand on his metal cheek, speaking to him with a smile though he could see her inner turmoil. "Hey, Bee. Would you contact Optimus for me to get the coordinates of NEST?"

He nodded to her in affirmation. She removed her hand from his face, watching as the blue light of his eyes dimmed, the physical sign that he was speaking over his communication systems. He turned to her moments later, relaying the coordinates slowly to her via his radio. She memorized them with ease, phasing on her personal armor as she turned to Sam, mask and all.

"Well...I guess this is it, Sam." She said.

Though he couldn't see her face, Sam could hear the sorrow in his friend's voice. He walked over to her, wrapping her in a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you, Stormy."

She pushed back her tears, feeling thankful that Sam couldn't see her face. She didn't want him to see her weakness. It'd only make this harder on the both of them. "I'm going to miss you too, Samantha."

Her friend barked out a laugh hearing her call him by her nickname for him as he pulled back from their friendly embrace. Normally he would have been annoyed, but he decided that he would let her get away with it. At least this one time since he didn't know when would be the next time he'd hear it.

He watched her solemnly as she crossed her arms over chest, an armored hand on each shoulder as a portal opened up behind her. It lifted her off the ground and began to pull her in slowly, Storm un-able to resist what she was about to say next. "I'd better not be an aunty when I come back!"

Sam visibly cringed hearing her words, remembering Storm's threat on his manhood as he watched the portal envelop her, snapping shut behind her. He turned to look at Bumblebee and the yellow scout warbled out a sad noise to him.

He placed a hand on his face, answering the yellow scout with sadness of his own. "I know, big guy...I'm going to miss her, too."

...

The other end of the portal opened to reveal an empty hangar, the first thing she noticed being the stark change in temperature. It was hot. _Un-bearably hot_.

She landed flat-footed on the ground and phased away her armor, activating the camouflage response of her suit. Should there be humans on base by now, they wouldn't know who she was. And she didn't want to scare them into thinking she was a potential Decepticon, opting to blend in with their numbers.

She made her way out of the large, empty hangar in her search of Optimus. She looked around her in shock. She'd been right in her assumptions that there would be humans here. And there was a lot of them. She wasn't lost to the curious, wary glances as she made her way across base, ignoring all of them and the echo of whispers around her.

She had no idea where she was, but she kept walking, stopping when she heard the faint sounds of rushing water and the smell of salt. She followed it until she reached a chain link fence that separated her from the outer edges of the base. She filled with excitement. They were on a base surrounded by water.

She laced her fingers through the metal fence, closing her eyes as a breeze passed over her, listening to the calming waves. She was oblivious to the sounds of an approaching vehicle and doors closing until she heard a sudden voice yell out to her.

"Hands in the air! Don't make any sudden moves or you _will_ be shot!"

Storm grunted out annoyance, doing as the voice had asked of her. She didn't want to be shot given she wasn't wearing her protective armor. She slowly raised her hands above her head, waiting for her next order.

"Now turn around slowly!" The voice demanded.

She slowly turned around and her mouth dropped open in shock. "Lennox?!"

The man before her visibly flinched hearing her call him by his name. He was suspicious of her. "Who are you?...State your name, _now_!"

Storm huffed out in annoyance. She didn't have the time for this. She slowly dropped her arms, crossing them over her chest. "Storm. You might know me better as Tempest, however. Or the one who summoned The Warden in Mission City."

The man hastily dropped his weapon, ordering for those around him to do the same before he approached Storm. "Oh man, Storm. I am _so_ sorry. "We were getting reports of a civilian female wandering around like she owned the place and we were obviously on edge since were in the middle of the ocean."

Storm snorted to herself in amusement. Like she owned the place? Really? "I figured Optimus would've mentioned I was coming seeing as how I had Bumblebee contact him for NEST's coordinates."

Lennox chuckled nervously as he placed a hand on her shoulder, leading her over towards the vehicle he'd arrived him. "Well, he didn't, and it almost got you shot...Climb in and I'll give you a ride back to base. It's way too freaking hot out here for you to be walking."

Storm shrugged her shoulders. "My combat skin regulates my internal temperature so it's not that big of a deal...But since your offering, I won't say no. My legs are tired from walking around this huge-ass base."

Lennox barked out a laugh in response to her comments as he watched her climb into the bed of the military truck, slapping a hand on the roof as she yelled out happily. "To the Prime, my valiant metal steed!"

He chuckled at her as he got into the driver's seat, waiting until everyone was in the car before starting it up and turning it around on it's axis, making their way back towards base.

...

Storm leapt off from the back of the truck bed once it'd stopped, following after Lennox upon his exit. He led her towards a hangar and as she walked into it, Storm's eyes lit up. It was the Autobots She broke out into a full run, stopping at Optimus' side as she called out his name repeatedly, holding out her arms to him in a gesture he understood.

He chuckled at the sight, kneeling down before and holding out his palm to her. She walked into it without hesitation, steadying herself as he raised her up to eye level with him. She wrapped her arms around his face in a hug, speaking to him with excitement. "Optimus! I've missed you guys _so_ much!"

The Autobot leader was amused by her statements. He didn't understand how the Forerunner could miss them when it'd only been two days since they'd last saw each other. "It is good to see you, as well, Tempest."

She flushed with embarrassment hearing Optimus call her by her true name. It'd been a long time since she heard someone call her that who wasn't The Warden, Exuberant Witness, and select people within the UNSC.

She pulled back from their embrace, pointing a finger into his face as she began to jokingly scold him. "How come you didn't tell anyone that I was coming? I almost got shot wandering around base, I'll have you know!"

Optimus averted his gaze from Storm, his expression filled with guilt. "My apologies, Tempest...I was preoccupied with the humans and their appointed liaison."

Her expression immediately changed. A liaison? The humans must be really serious about this if they'd already appointed them one. "Well, how did it go?"

Optimus mimicked that of a sigh, heated air being expelled from the vents on his face. "He is...what is the human word for it? Overbearing?"

Storm belted out in laughter, finding amusement in Optimus' choice of words. She was oblivious to the sounds of footsteps approaching them until a voice spoke up from below them. "I was just informed that the leader of the Prometheans is...Excuse me, why is there a civilian girl on base?"

She turned her attention to the sound of the voice, being met with the sight of a clean-cut, suited man wearing glasses with two heavily armored soldiers at his sides. She roamed her eyes over him and narrowed them. She didn't know who this man was, but she didn't like him. _At all_. His posture and condescending tone told her everything she needed to know about him.

"Would you put me down, please?" Storm asked Optimus.

The Autobot leader did as he was asked, placing the Forerunner gently down before the man at his feet. She didn't miss the expressions of those around her, however, as she was placed on the ground. They were one's of amusement, all of them due to the man before her. The human liaison had no idea who he was talking to.

"The leader of the Prometheans is indeed here...You're looking at her. "Storm said, voice laced with annoyance.

The man looked around the hangar, gauging their reactions before turning back to look at Storm, anger lacing his voice. "Is this some kind of joke?...Because let me tell you now, girl. You could be in _serious_ legal trouble for even being here. The kind that puts you in prison. You and anyone else invloved in bringing you here."

The liaison's comments made her blood boil. It was the last straw for her. She didn't deserve the disrespect she was receiving and she wasn't about to tolerate it. Not when it was his own fault for not believing her.

"No. It's not a joke, _human_." Storm spat out bitterly.

She dropped the camouflage response of her suit and phased on her personal armor in quick succession, mask and all, proving to the liaison that she was speaking the truth. He stared on at her without a word, his expression dumbfounded. That was when it shifted to one of horror. He'd made a grave mistake.

He began to flounder, desperately trying to stutter out an apology. "I- uh...Please, forgive me for my earlier disprespect. I...I didn't realize..."

Though he couldn't see it due to her mask, Storm had her eyes narrowed at him, her expression one of anger. "Of course you didn't. I have a device that changes my appearance to help me blend in with your population."

Her response only seemed to further the man's nervousness. He cleared his throat as he adjusted his tie, trying to compose himself. He would have to be on his toes from now on. If he angered the woman before him and she decided to back out of the treaty, he would lose his job.

"Are you intending to join the NEST treaty?" He asked, voice filled with respect.

Storm scoffed at his question, rolling her eyes from underneath her mask. "I wouldn't be here right now if I weren't."

The liaison couldn't ignore the woman's snide tone. However, she couldn't help herself. He'd angered her. Combine that with her lack of sleep and breakfast, she was practically a ticking time bomb.

"Before the NEST treaty is solidified, there is one question I'd like to ask on behalf of our government." The liaison said.

Storm sighed in annoyance, dropping her arms from over her chest. She wanted to get this over as quickly as possible to get this man away from her. "Sure. Go ahead."

"Will you share your advancements in technology with us?" He asked.

She pointed into the man's face, anger audible in her voice. "No. I will _never_ trust your species with Forerunner technology. I've seen your never-ending penchant for war and I won't allow that to happen. Giving you access to my people's technology would be the equivalent of giving a child a gun. You're not prepared to handle such power."

She knew what the humans were trying to do. If they gained access to her technology, they would wage wars with it, conquer entire nations with it. They would use it to make themselves wealthy and to keep the majority in fear. It was for the collective good of their species that her technology stay forever out of their reach. She was supposed to protect them, and with great power came great responsibility.

The liaison quickly gave up hearing Storm's quick, aggressive denial of his question, apologizing to her once more before leaving along with his armored escorts, much to her thankfullness. Once they were out sight, she turned back to Optimus with a heavy sigh. He'd warned her that the man was overbearing, but that was something else entirely.

"I don't like him." Storm said.

Ironhide turned to look at her, nodding in agreement with her statement. "Agreed. That human is going to be a pain in all our aft's."

Everyone in the room belted out in laughter hearing what the Autobot weapon's specialist said, including Storm. Despite it's difference to compared to it's human and Forerunner counterpart, she understood the Cybertronian term, easily able to deduce it's meaning.

She smiled to herself. Maybe her time at NEST wouldn't be as bad as she'd first assumed it to be.

* * *

 **I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out but I had some family health stuff come up that I had to deal with.**

 **Despite this, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **I have returned!**

 **Before we get into this chapter, however, I'd like to address some things. Constructive criticism is** _ **more**_ **than welcomed. All I ask is that if you do have such criticism for me, you do so respectfully. This is my first attempt at writing a story and I'm learning as I go, so sometimes it's really hard on me, especially given that I suffer from generalized anxiety disorder.**

 **With this being said, I have taken some of the advice given to me. I was told that my paragraphs aren't spaced out properly enough and are too long. I've made the appropriate changes and continue to do so. But, this person also stated that my action scenes are too long. Personally, I disagree with as the one action scene they were** **referring** **to was very short compared to the total length of my chapters.**

 **They also stated that my story didn't seem like a Halo crossover, mearly that I was using the Halo universe as a plot device and that my story was a "letdown". Some of this statement could be argued, yes. But I'd like to point out that the definition this website gives for a crossover is as follows: "Crossover is a story that includes themes or characters from two categories".**

 **My story does use themes and characters from the Halo universe and besides, we're only fourteen chapters in. This isn't nearly enough time for me to set up everything I currently have planned which does include future appearences from some major and minor Halo characters along with potential collaboration between NEST and the UNSC.**

 **Things like this won't be happening until after I've gotten through the events of the third Transformers movie at the very least, though. After all, Storm and The Autobots will need somewhere to go when the human** **government disbands NEST.**

* * *

Storm rolled onto her side lazily with a sigh. She brought her un-armored hands up to her face, rubbing away the sleep that had accumulated in her eyes before opening them, slowly taking in her surroundings. She glanced around the monochromatic expanse of her as the previous day's events flooded her mind.

She'd been given the grand tour of NEST by Lennox. The man had shown her everything. The base cafeteria, rec-room, training areas, and everything in between, his last stop being the Promethean-Forerunner hangar and also her permanent quarters.

She was genuinely surprised when the man told her that the human government had ordered for her to receive her own quarters instead of inhabiting a shared space with the humans and had it not for her being so tired, she would have argued with him over this.

She reluctantly climbed out of her soft bed and made her way over towards her dresser, painted in the same boring shade of gray as the rest of her room. She picked up her hair brush from it's surface, proceeding to brush out her long, static filled hair before placing it into a neat bun. That's when she heard the loud, aggressive sounds of knocking at her door, causing her to jump.

She quickly made her way towards her door and opened it. It was Lennox. He was covered in sweat, his breathing ragged. This immediately concerned her. Had he ran all the way acros base to reach her quarters?

"Lennox? What are you doing here so early?" Storm asked.

Lennox responded to her, sounding breathless. "I'm sorry Storm but we've got incoming Autobots...Like, _right now_."

Her expression immediately changed. She exited from her quarters with haste, shutting the door behind her as she looked around her for The Warden. She gestured to him with a finger once she'd spotted him, the silent order for him to follow her.

He came to stand at her side as she phased on her protective armor, following after Lennox towards the Autobot hangar with The Warden in tow. They made their way there with haste and Storm immediately spotted Optimus. He was by himself. She ran up to his side but he hadn't seemed to notice her. She cupped a hand around each side of her mask, calling out his name to gain his attention. He looked down at her and smiled before kneeling down over her.

"So, we have incoming Autobots?" Storm asked.

Optimus nodded to her in agreement. "Indeed. We will be leaving momentarily along with Lennox and his soldiers to intercept their arrival."

Though he couldn't see it due to her mask, Storm couldn't help but smile. She was excited over this was an important development. The Autobots numbers were few and that was finally about to change.

"Would you and The Warden like to accompany us, Tempest?" Optimus asked, drawing her from her thoughts.

The Autobots leader's question warmed her heart. He wished for them to feel included in something so pivotal. However, she couldn't agree. She didn't want to bring stress these new arrivals. "I'd love to, Optimus...but I don't want to overwhelm the new Autobots. They'll already be meeting the humans so I think it'd be best for them to have time to adjust before introducing them to myself and The Warden."

"With your permission, I'd love to see you off, though." Storm said with a smile.

The Autobot leader chuckled. She didn't need his permission, already more than welcome. "Of course, Tempest."

She followed after the much taller leader alongside Lennox onto the heated tarmac, struggling to keep up with his large strides as he made his way towards a group of human aircraft that were already prepared for their departure. She remained back at a safe distance as she watched the Autobot leader slowly transform down to his alt-mode, entering into the back of an empty aircraft. It seemed the other Autobots were already loaded up and ready.

She watched on as the human aircraft slowly made their way down the runway, ascending into the sky with Lennox, his team of soldiers, and the Autobots, carrying them off into the horizon. She waited until they had completely disappeared before turning around and making her way back towards the Autobot hangar and The Warden.

The Promethean titan was leaned up against a wall next to a set of large, wooden boxes, arms crossed over his chest. She made her way towards the boxes and sat down on them, pulling one leg up towards her chest and resting her arm on it lazily as she turned towards The Warden.

"Well, looks like we're in for a long wait." She said with a sigh.

The Warden nodded to her in agreement. It was going to be a long wait, indeed.

...

She had quickly become bored and tired after hours of sitting, choosing to lay down on the un-comfortable wooden surface beneath her halfway through her wait for the Autobot leader and his return, one leg dangling off it's surface lazily.

She breathed out a heavy sigh as she lazily turned her head towards the reverberating sound that she heard approaching her, sitting up from her spot quickly with excitement at what she saw. It was Optimus approaching her in his alt-mode. He came to a stop in-front of her before carefully transforming to his bi-pedal mode and kneeling down to her eye level.

"So, how'd it go?" Storm asked, a smile hidden underneath her mask.

Though he couldn't see it, Optimus could hear the smile in the Forerunner's voice, responding to her with a smile of his own. "It went well, all things considered."

She couldn't hide her excitement, wrapping her arms around Optimus' large face in hug. "That's great, Optimus!"

The Autobot leader was surprised by the sudden gesture but he returned it, placing his large hand against Storm's armored back gently, pressing her into him in the physical gesture her understood as a human custom. A hug.

She pulled back from their friendly embrace when she heard the sounds of light footsteps approaching them. She snarled, a low-clicking sound coming from the back of her throat. It was Galloway, no doubt in her mind that the human liaison had come to gather information from Optimus on the new Autobots.

"Well, big guy. I believe _that_ " She said, pointing to Galloway. "is my cue to leave...I'm going to go introduce myself to the new Autobots."

Optimus followed her gaze to where she was pointing, understanding her reasoning for wanting to leave. He didn't blame her. The Forerunner's relationship with the human liaison was strained after his disrespect of her and rightfully so.

He turned to her with a nod. "I understand, Tempest."

She patted Optimus on his metal cheek with an armored hand before turning around and leaping off the wooden boxes that had been her place of waiting. The Warden followed after his leader, watching her as she matched the distance to Galloway. She stared the man down, turning her head to follow him as she passed by him. The man adjusted his tie nervously, obviously made un-comfortable by Storm's never-faltering gaze.

She chuckled to herself as she proceeded onward past Galloway and towards the exit of the hangar. While she knew she that she shouldn't be torturing the man given he'd already apologized to her, it was simply _way_ too amusing for her to pass up.

Once she'd reached the exit of the Autobot hangar, Storm turned back around to face Optimus, walking backwards out of the hangar as she gave the Autobot leader a two-fingered salute. He chuckled at her in response, his eyes never leaving her until she disappeared around the corner of the hangar.

He directed his attention towards Galloway with a heavy sigh, mentally preparing himself for the liaison and his never ending questions that he knew would soon follow.

...

Storm searched every hangar she and The Warden passed for the new Autobots before stopping at one. She roamed over it's interior with her eyes. The area before her was littered with vehicles and...privacy curtains?

She crossed her arms over her chest, deep in thought as she continued to walk. She turned a corner around one of the man privacy curtains around her and was forced to leap out of the way, narrowly avoiding a sleek, silver leg sporting a wheeled foot. The Warden picked her up quickly seeing this, acting out of instinct.

The silver form the leg belonged to emerged quickly from behind the privacy curtain and she met their gaze, bright blue optics situated on a surprisingly masculine face meeting the fiery orange of her mask.

"It's okay, Eternal. You can put me down." Storm said, putting The Warden lightly on his arm.

The Promethean titan placed her gently on the ground upon seeing there was no real threat, visibly relaxing as he watched the un-identified Autobot lean down onto one knee before his leader and speak. "Sorry about that, femme. I wasn't watching where I was going."

The silver being held out a large hand to her in a surprisingly human gesture. He wished for her to shake his hand. She obliged, gently wrapping her armored hand around his metal index finger and shook it in the best handshake she could offer him.

"The name's Sideswipe." The silver mech said.

Storm let go of his index finger as she responded to him. "It's nice to meet you, Sideswipe."

The silver mech stared at her, examining her closely with intrigue. She could easily tell that he was pondering to himself over who she was or rather, what. "My apologies if I come off as rude, femme...but what are you? Are you a triple-changer?"

She couldn't hide her confusion, tilting her head to him. "Uh...a what?"

Sideswipe proceeded to explain to her what a triple-changer was and she chuckled, shaking her head to him in denial of his question before she receeded her protective mask from over her face. "I'm neither of those things as I'm not a Cybertronian."

Sideswipe was surprised seeing Storm's appearance, a look of recognition passing over his face as he pointed down at her with excitement. "You're that Promethean leader the Prime was talking about on our way here, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am." She said, pointing behind her to The Warden. "I figured this big guy behind me would give that away."

Sideswipe belated out in laughter and Storm couldn't help but laugh with him, oblivious to the Autobot medic that had entered the hangar behind them. He walked over to her, plucking her gently off the ground from Sideswipe and The Warden's side, earing him a startled noise from the woman.

"What the hell, Ratchet?! Put me down, _now!_ " She yelled.

Storm's shouting attracting the attention of the new Autobots and the humans around them but Ratchet wasn't phased. He looked down at her as she struggled within his grasp, responding to her with amusement. "My apologies, Storm, but you promised to let me take in-depth scans of your physiology and now is a good enough time as any."

Storm glared at Ratchet. She wasn't amused, _at all_. "And you choose _now_? I was busy trying to introduce myself to everyone, Ratchet."

The corners of the yellow Autobot's mouth plating bent up into a devilish smile, his voice resonating with mischief. "I do believe you just said the key word here, Storm. _Was_."

She began to stuggle harder within Ratchet's tight hold as he told Sideswipe and The Warden that he'd be "borrowing" her for a little bit. She tried to push herself out of the Autobot medic's grasp but to no avail, turning to her second-in-command for help. "Eternal, beat Ratchet's ass!"

The Promethean titan crossed his arms over his chest, shrugging his shoulders to her with a smirk plastered on his metallic face. He wasn't going to help her, obviously amused by the situation. She narrowed her eyes at him in anger, baring her teeth at him as she yelled. "Eternal, you traitor!"

The Autobots chuckled lightly in amusement as they watched the feisty female lunge for Ratchet's face, trying to claw at him with her armored fingertips as she continued to yell. "You just wait until we get to the med-bay, Ratchet! I'm going to rip your eye out just like I did Barricade!"

The Autobots all visibly stiffened upon hearing the woman's threat. They glanced between each other, sharing shocked looks, un-able to believe what they'd just heard. The small female had managed to go toe-to-toe with Barricade, one of the most feared Decepticons for his ruthlessness and had made it out with her life, virtually un-scathed.

They all silently agreed to themselves in that moment to never get on the Forerunner's bad side if it could be helped, lest they potentially lose an optic as well.

* * *

 **Oh, yeah! Another chapter done!**

 **Just to point out, these "..." sections in my story indicate a minor time skip and/or point of view shift.**

 **This chapter took me a bit longer than I would have liked to write out despite how short it is but it was one of the many chapters I had to edit heavily due to various factors.**

 **Now, I'm tired so I'm most likely going to go play Slime Rancher or something to wind down.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Guys, I am so, so,** _ **so**_ **sorry for being gone and not updating for so long. I realy didn't mean to but as I mentioned before in previous chapter's author's notes, I had to go to the doctor because I didn't feel good nor like myself. I did go and honestly, the news wasn't that good.**

 **I have to go to my local hospital this upcoming Wednesday to have a bunch of tests preformed but I'm hoping for the best. Worst case scenario though, I'm headed for surgery. I won't lie, I'm pretty freaked out by the prospect of it but I'm going to do my best to at least get two chapter's out this week (including this one).**

 **I hope you all will understand if I seemingly disappear again. I'm going through a lot of stressful things right now.**

* * *

She continued to struggle within the Autobot medic's grasp the entire way towards the med-bay. If he was going to force her to come with him, then she refused to make it easy. Ratchet didn't appear phased, however, ignoring her ill-fated attempts at escape as he walked, bringing the small Forerunner over to a metal, Cybertronian sized berth before setting her down flat-footed upon it's surface.

Storm placed her armored hands on her hips, huffing with vexation before she began to berate the Autobot medic with insults. She was furious. "You are the worst, Ratchet! This could have waited until I had introduced myself to everyone!"

The Autobot medic turned his back to her, ignoring her insults and irate tone in favor of grabbing a small object from off a table at his side. "Possibly. However, I also required your presence as I believe that I have finished a device to mask the signal you've been giving off."

She narrowed her eyes at Ratchet as she crossed her arms over her chest, these actions not phasing the Autobot medic in the slightest. "And you didn't think to lead with that when you came to get me? I would have been _much_ more compliant if you had."

The yellow medic barked out a laugh in response to the annoyed Forerunner. "I do not believe "compliant **"** to be part of your vocabulary, Storm."

She stared up at Ratchet blankly for a few moments before bellowing out in a short-lived laugh of her own, proceeding to sit down on the edge of the large berth Ratchet had placed her on, her legs dangling lazily off it's side. Ratchet was right. She'd always had a problem with authority and following orders.

"So, how does this device work?" She asked.

Ratchet held up his hand to Storm, the afformentioned device held gently in-between two of his large, metal fingers for her to see. "This device, if it works in the way I intend it, will essentially scramble the signal that you've been giving off. The best comparison I can offer for it is a human radio in that certain stations when you switch through them emit only static. That is what _this_ device will do. It will mask your bio-metric signature, and thus Optimus', with a form of static making it un-detectable. You'll be metaphorically invisible to any Cybertronian. Including us."

She gazed up at the small, circular object in awe. For something so tiny, it promised to do much. She just hoped that it worked. She diverted her gaze from the object held within Ratchet's hand to his face, smirking at him evilly. "Well, bring it over here and show me how to use it, old man."

The Autobot medic's expression changed upon hearing Storm's teasing comment, obviously un-amused. Storm, however, was highly amused. She belted out in laughter, kicking her legs wildly, causing her to lose her balance and fall back against the cold, un-forgiving surface of the berth beneath her. A loud clang resounded throughout the med-bay as her back hit the metal berth and Storm was sure that if Ratchet could have rolled his eyes, he would have.

"Enough of that, young one. I need you to sit up." Ratchet said, kneeling down before her.

She obeyed the Autobot medic in his demands, using her arms to help push her up from the surface of the metal berth beneath her. Once fully sitting upright, Ratchet reached out to Storm, watching him as he took her right arm gently in his free hand. "Now, I will require you to phase away your armor, please."

Storm removed her gaze from her arm and looked up to Ratchet, her expression one of confusion. "Uh, Ratchet?...Is this device something I'll have to wear?"

"Indeed." Ratchet said, nodding to her in affirmation.

She instantly defalted, her hope quickly dissipating. She took back her arm from Ratchet, resting it back in it's former place at her side with her palm flat against the metal berth beneath her. "Ratchet, if I'm wearing _anything_ that isn't Forerunner made when I phase my personal armor over my body it will be destroyed. The shell of hard-light underneath my suit will destroy anything that isn't made of Forerunner materials."

The Autobot medic ignored Storm's explanation, taking back her right arm from her side before speaking to her. "This device is made of Cybertronian metal which is relatively indestructible, similiar to your own armor in that aspect. I am ninety-five percent sure that it will not be destroyed by the phasing of your armor and once I place this device on your arm, it cannot be removed for your own safety."

Storm was still highly un-sure of proceeding onward despite Ratchet's explanation. However, this was her only option because as she was right now, she was a danger to everyone. Especially Sam. And f she did nothing then she'd would continue to put everyone around her in danger. Something that she couldn't afford.

"Alright, Ratchet...but if this thing gets destroyed, it is _so_ not my fault." She said.

Ratchet chuckled to himself over Storm's comment before gesturing to her arm with his head. "Now, if you will, please phase your armor."

She complied hesitently, phasing away her armor from over the entirety of her body, leaving her in only her combat skin. She watched as Ratchet gently placed the small device around her wrist and secured it so that it couldn't be taken off.

Once the device had been fitted to her, Storm brought her wrist close to her face, turning her wrist in the air to examine it as Ratchet spoke. "Now, please try to phase your armor back on."

She looked up to face Ratchet, a worried expression plastered on her face. "But...what if something goes wrong?"

The Autobot medic smiled softly to Storm in reassurance. "The worst that will happen is that it will be destroyed. Do not worry, sparkling."

She diverted her gaze from Ratchet back to the wrist of her right hand, staring at it skeptically for several moments before phasing her personal armor back over her body. She waited for the worst to happen as her armor enclosed over her right arm and much to her surprise, she was met with nothing. Nothing had happened. No flittering of ash like orange particles that would have indicated the device's destruction.

Storm looked up to Ratchet in shock as she spoke. "It didn't get destroyed...Does that mean that it worked?"

The Autobot medic stood from his kneeled position, raising his arm in preparation to scan Storm. "There's only one way to find out, I'm afraid."

He scanned Storm multiple times, doing surface scans along with deeper biological scans in order for him to confirm what he was currently seeing. The device had worked just as he had designed it to.

He lowered his arm to his side before kneeling back down, smiling softly at Storm as he delivered the good news to her. "My calculations for the device were correct. Optimus' bio-metric signal should no longer detectable."

Storm was ecstatic, a grin plastered on her face as she leapt forward, hugging Ratchet's face to the best of her abiity. "Thank you, Ratchet! I don't know how I could ever repay you!"

It brought the Autobot medic joy to know that such a simple gesture had served to make the small Forerunner so happy, warming his spark with an un-familiar emotion as he pulled back from Storm's gentle embrace, smiling devilishly at her. "You know, if you would _really_ like to repay me, you'd would let me gather those scans you promised me."

"Of course you'd bring that up again." Storm said, glaring at Ratchet in annoyance. "Fine. I guess I owe you now anyways, so it's the least I could do...But no probing me!"

Ratchet recoiled back from Storm with disgust. "Why in the world would I do something like that?"

She barked out a laugh due to the reaction she'd elicited from Ratchet before standing up on the metal berth beneath her, shrugging her shoulders to him with non-chalance as she responded to him. "I don't know. Humans seem to have a strange fascination with aliens and being probed in their many orifices so I though I'd throw that out there...It was pretty funny though, you have to admit."

The Autobot medic shook his head in disbelief, running a hand his metallic face in exasperation. "It's revolting is what it is."

Storm narrowed her eyes. "No, you just have no sense of humor is what it is."

"I've been alive much longer than you, young one." Ratchet scoffed. "So believe me when I say that I understand a thing or two about humor."

Storm turned to glare at the Autobot medic sinisterly upon hearing his comments, a devilish grin plastered on her face. "At least I know why you're so damn crotchety all the time, you old-fart."

The Autobot medic wasn't the least bit amused by her comments. He grabbed a Cybertronian sized wrench from off a table next to him, holding it out towards the Forerunner female threateningly as he glared at her. "I'll show you who's an old-fart."

He raised the wrench above his head, tossing it in Storm's direction though she was able to dodge the incoming threat easily, neither noticing Optimus who had walked in at just the right moment to see the wrench mysteriously go flying through the air.

She smirked over at Ratchet, remarking to him snidely despite knowing that it would only serve to infuriate the yellow medic more. He was sensitive about his age, it seemed. "You know you love me, you ill-tempered old man."

Ratchet didn't fail to miss the sight of Optimus as he rounded the corner. It seemed the Autobot leader had been witness to what had just happened, finding amusement in the situation as he was chuckling to himself.

"I tolerate you. There's a difference." Ratchet huffed.

Storm held her clawed, right hand over her heart in faked pain, mouth hanging open as she gasped dramatically. "How dare you, Ratchet! I thought we had something special!"

The Autobot medic simply grumbled in response to her comments before speaking to her, obviously un-amused. "Are you finished yet, Storm? I'd like to gather those scans now."

"Fine." Storm said with a joking inflection, crossing her arms over her chest. "but I'm going to be super un-pleasant about it the whole time."

Ratchet sighed heavily. "Of course. I would expect nothing less from you."

Storm submitted herself to the many tests Ratchet had for her. He tested her on everything from her physical response times to her pain threshold, seeming genuinely surprised and amused when he would tap the knee of Storm's armor and her leg would flinch in response.

"Fascinating...It's almost as if your armor possesses sensory neurons." Ratchet said with interest.

She couldn't help but laugh hearing the Autobot medic's tone, raising an eyebrow at him in amusement. "That's because it does, Ratchet."

Ratchet looked up at her with intrigue, asking her to explain how this was possible to which she shrugged her shoulders with non-chalance. "A Forerunner Ancilla is linked with all aspects of it's owners body. This allows me sensory perception and the ability to feel everything that I normally would without my protective armor. Pain. Pleasure. Nothing is off limits to me in terms of physical sensation."

Neither Ratchet nor Optimus could hide their surprise as they turned to each other. They hadn't known that Storm's armor as well as her Ancilla were integrated with her on such a deep level and it meant that if her armor was damaged, she would feel every agonizing second of it. If someone were to perform feather light touches against her armor, she would feel calm pleasure as a result of the action. She was similar to them in more ways than they had originally realized.

They both turned to look at Storm when they heard the female begin lowly slinging out curses in her native language. She had disengaged the mag-locks on her thigh in their distracted state, bringing up her Forerunner bolt-shot to fumble with it in her bordem before dropping it, the weapon disappearing with a flurry of orange particles upon it's seperation from it's owner.

Optimus and Ratchet shared a temporary look of astonishment and confusion before the Autobot leader turned back to face Storm, speaking up to her with a question. "How did you do that, Tempest?"

She ignored the Autobot leader's usage of her true name, removing her gaze from the ground where her weapon had phased away before turning her head to face Optimus', her expression one of confusion. "Do what, Optimus?"

"Oh...you mean my weapon, don't you?" She asked, suddenly realizing what he'd meant.

Optimus nodded to her in affirmation and Storm shrugged her shoulders. "If any of my weapon's are removed too far from my person then they'll phase back to Requiem. It's a fail-safe of my Ancilla meant to prevent anyone from having access to my people's weapon's technology as it could have devastating consequences if placed in the wrong hands."

Both Ratchet and Optmus were once again confused upon hearing this. Storm had said that her weapons would phase back from whence they came upon their removal from her presence. Her home world, Requiem. How was this was possible? The form of technology she claimed to possess was something even Cybertronians had never known.

"Femme, you said that your weapons would phase back to Requiem upon their removal from you. Would you elaborate?" Ratchet asked.

She didn;t understand how such information was of relative importance. Despite this, she answered the Autobot medic's question. "My home world, Requiem, is what my people considered a "shield world". It was created with the intent to act as refuge from the activation of a Halo ring but this isn't all a shield world is capable of. Requiem, for instance, also acted as a form of military establishment. The planet is essentially a network of synapses that contain all of Requiem's defenses. My home world is mearly a small fraction of a much larger, unified network, however. My Ancilla has a direct link to this military network so whether it be weaponry, aircraft, or defensive AI, as long as it's linked to that military network I can summon it at will, off world or not."

Optimus felt pride well up within him upon hearing this from Storm. He had known from the moment he met her, even before he knew of her alien status, that she would be a powerful ally. She had lived up to his assumption and then some. However, she was more powerful an ally than he had originally known. She had the defenses to quiet literally wipe out entire universe's at her fingertips. It was a heavy responsibility for her to carry. But, with Storm's willing partnership in this treaty, they had a fighting chance. A chance for an era of peace for not just themselves, but the entirety of the universe.

The Autobot leader was snapped from his thoughts by the sound of Storm's voice speaking to both he and Ratchet with seriousness, her expression betraying this same emotion. "With that being said, I hope the both of you will understand that this information must stay betwen the three of us only. I fear that this information could be detrimental if in the wrong hands."

The pair nodded to her in agreement, both of them understanding the real threat that this information posed to the universe and she seemed to relax upon seeing this, her expression changing from one of seriousness to happiness as she spoke. "I'm _so_ glad that's over. I even managed to escape the situation without getting probed."

Ratchet sighed to the Forerunner female in disbelief before walking away into the back of the med-bay, no longer able to be seen as he shouted out to Optimus. "Please take the femme, Prime! I've had more than enough of her today!"

Storm was offended. She scowled in the direction from where she had heard Ratchet's voice at the back of the med-bay, yelling back to him with the same tone of disbelief he had given her just moments ago. "Excuse me?! You're the one who abducted me from where I was talking to Sideswipe, you crotchety old toaster!"

A lone wrench flew towards her from the opposite side of the med-bay. Thankfully enough for her, Optimus had managed to grab her, holding her protectively to his chest plating with his right hand as he dodged the wrench.

Storm sucked in a sharp breath upon feeling the sudden contact. She felt as if she had been electrified though strangely enough, it didn't hurt. She felt energized along with another emotion she couldn't describe. Her skin felt like it was crawling, all the fine hair's on her body standing on end in response to the emotion, the sensation only stopping once Optimus pulled her away from his chest and set her down in the palm of his left hand.

"You enjoy teasing Ratchet, don't you, Tempest?" Optimus asked with amusement.

The Autobot leader's question was enough to shake Storm from her thoughts of confusion. She looked up to him with a smile despite her earlier predicament, his blue optics meeting Storm's stark, two-toned eyes. "Whether you guy's like it or not, you're my family now and that's what you do with family. You tease them and purposefully try to get on their nerves as much as possible. Otherwise, they won't know how much you care."

He smiled down to the Forerunner female within his hold in response to her statement. He didn't understand her statement as she had meant it, assuming that it was simply a human custom he had no knowledge of. After all, many race's had different ways of expressing their care and adoration for each other.

Humans seemed to prefer expressing theirs physically through friendly or romantic gestures. Cybertronians, on the other hand, were not as keen on physical contact, such contact being reserved only for spark-mate's and sparklings. So to say he was surprised when Storm was so willing to express herself through physical contact with him was understatment.

"Hey, Optimus? It's getting kind of late. Would you mind dropping me off at the Forerunner hangar?" Storm asked.

Optimus nodded to her. "Of course, Tempest. I will escort you there."

"You know, you don't have to be so formal when speaking to me, Optimus." Storm said. "You're my friend. And my closest friends get to call me "Stormy"."

Optimus chuckled to himself as he took in the expression of the small female within his palm. Storm was grinning up at him from ear to ear. "As you wish, Stormy."

Her eyes brightened ever so slightly upon hearing the Autobot leader call her by the nickname she'd been given so long ago as he walked into the Forerunner hangar with her held securely in his palm. The Autobot leader kneeled down and set his palm down to the floor so that Storm could climb of and she did, gingerly stepping down before turning to face Optimus.

She came close to him, wrapping her arms around his large face in the best hug that she could offer him as she spoke. "Goodnight, Optimus. I'll see you tommorow."

He returned Storm's hug the best that he could without injuring her before bidding her farwell. She turned around to face the door to her quarters and opened it, turning to give the Autobot leader behind her a wave good-bye before turning back around and walking into her appointed space.

Storm leaned up against the surface of her closed door, her armored back placed firmly against it as her mind drifted. She was a mess of thoughts, all of them having to do with the strange sensation from earlier. Perhaps something in her suit was truly malfunctioning and the signature she'd been giving off was mearly a precursor to this? She didn't know for certain, but she was worried.

What in the hell was going on with her?

* * *

 **I had a little bit of writer's block halfway through this chapter but I believe it's most likely due to me not writing anything in awhile. I'm going to do my best to get myself out of this funk I'm in so I can start delivering chapter on time again, though.**

 **Now, I'm going to try and go play some Life Is Strange and hope it doesn't continue freaking crashing for no damn reason. If not then I guess it's back to Destiny so I can prepare for the Solstice of Heroes tomorrow.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Good news, everyone! I went and had my tests run at the hosptial and I don't have what my doctor thought I might so that means no surgery for me. Hurray!**

 **One thing I would like to say before getting into this chapter, however, is that I plan on going into how Storm and Sam met in the future when I can find the appropriate chapter to fit this information in.**

 **I had other plans for how I wanted to start this story but I wanted Sam and Storm to have a friend based relationship. You'll find out why during the events of the second movie. Just a warning, there will be some heartbreaking stuff in the future.**

* * *

It was hot. _Un-_ _bearably hot_. She was miserable, laying on top of a set of wooden boxes within the Autobot hangar, trying not to move to stay cool. She felt as if she were melting inside her armor. It seemed her combat skin was only able to do so much to regulate her external temperature in the excessive heat around her. The hangar above her was no help, either, the metal structure trapping in the warm, desert air and heating it further.

She fanned at herself with an armored hand, trying to cool the exterior of her armor and thus herself but to no avail. It wasn't working. She was miserable. She huffed out tiredly as she looked around her lazily, eyes locking onto Lennox who wasn't that far from her. He seemed happy, impervious to the heat that was beating down on them relentlessly from above as he organized supplies for the hangar.

She groaned out in annoyance, incapable of understanding how the man was so sprightly. "Ugh, why is it _so_ damn hot...I feel like I'm cooking inside of my suit."

Lennox turned to face Storm with a laugh. The woman looked ridiculous. She was fully clad in her protective armor, face included, and was fanning at herself to alleviate her un-comfortable predicament.

"Well, we're on a desert base surrounded by water. Deserts are hot and water makes things humid." He said with amusement.

Storm scowled at Lennox from underneath her mask, pointing to him with the hand she'd been using to fan at herself. "You are _so_ lucky that part of the NEST treaty was agreeing to not harm humans. Otherwise, I'd slap the shit out of you right now."

The man didn't seem phased by her comments, barking out a laugh to her in response as he knew that her threats were empty. The Forerunner wouldn't harm a fly without being given appropriate reason to do so first.

He turned back around, focusing his attention on organizing the hangar's supplies, watching the woman across from him as she flopped back un-ceremoniously against the wooden boxes beneath her.

"I swear, I'm going to murder Optimus...If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be sitting on this damn base boiling inside of my suit." Storm mumbled under her breath.

Lennox turned to look at Storm once again, smirking at her with one eyebrow raised. He had heard what she'd said. "With as much as two are around each other, it doesn't really seem like you want to murder him to me. Quiet the opposite, actually."

She wasn't amused by his attempts at teasing her in the slightest and she didn't dignify the man with a response, simply rolling over onto her side, feeling herself flush with heat. She'd been spending her free time with the Autobots and Optimus. When she couldn't sleep due to stress, she would seek out the Autobot leader, passing the time watching the stars with him or reliving fond memories of each others past.

She cringed as a thought passed through her mind. This was most likely the universe paying her back for the times she'd embarrassed Sam in-front of Mikaela. However, she couldn't resist the temptation of teasing her friend. Especially not when he made it so easy for her.

She snickered to herself at the thought, her laughter soon being cut short by the ground shaking violently in tandem with the sounds of arguing. She growled out in annoyance, a low-clicking sound coming from the back of her throat.

She sat up quickly, facing the sounds of the arguing. It was Skids and Mudflap. They were fighting with each other. _Again_. There was no doubts in her mind that it was over something trivial once again. And she was much too irritable from the incessant heat of the day to be dealing with this.

Storm looked around for Ironhide, wondering if he'd noticed the forming situation. He had. However, he was ignoring the volatile development in favor of speaking to his spark-mate, Chromia. It seemed he was just as fed up as her with the pair in this moment. Especially so seeing as how he'd been the one to break up their first three arguments.

She receeded her protective mask from over face, cupping an armored hand around each side of her mouth as she yelled. "You better do something about this, 'Hide, or I swear to the Primordial I'm going to finish it for them."

The black mech didn't seem to care. He shrugged his large shoulders at her and she clicked angrily in the back of her throat. Ironhide wouldn't be any help this time, it seemed. She quickly willed her protective mask forward as she leapt down from the boxes beneath her.

She broke out into a full run towards the brawling Cybertronians, placing herself between the two of them, pushing them apart easily as she yelled. "You two need to stop, _now!_ Not only are you a danger to the humans around you, but it is _way_ too damn hot for you two to be pulling this stunt again!"

Mudflap quickly stopped in his bickering and fighting once he caught sight of Storm between them. He puffed out his chest to her, hands placed on his hips proudly as he grinned at her from ear to ear. "I'd do anything for a pretty femme like you."

Storm tilted her head at him with confusion. Was...was Mudflap trying to flirt with her? She didn't have the chance to ask him, the red Autobot being hit in the face with a punch from his green counterpart, Skids seemingly un-caring that she was still sandwiched between them.

She just narrowly managed to dodge the attack and scowled from behind her mask. Enough was enough. She ran up behind Mudflap as he scuffled with his twin, grabbing one of his arms and twisting it rougly at the joint, forcing him to the ground with her armored knee pressed firmly against his spinal strut.

With Mudflap now subdued, she directed her attention Skids, holding up her free hand to him. Her hand began to glow as he was surrounded in a wavering, orange light, being lifted off the ground by her constraint field as everyone around her watched.

She felt her use of force to be excessive, but if she did nothing, Skids and Mudflap might possibly harm a human, causing the Autobot-Human treaty to be null and void. And she refused to let that happen.

"What is going on here?"

Storm turned her head in tandem with those around her to face the owner of the question. It was Optimus. The Autobot leader had obviously witnessed the situation given his furious expression, his gaze locked to her.

She released Mudflap from her grip alongside Skids from his constraint field, turning to face Optimus as she gestured behind her to the Autobot twins. "Ask dumb-aft one and two, here. They're the one's who have been fighting each other all day for no apparent reason."

Optimus was visibly angered by her words as he turned to Ironhide, ordering for the black mech to place Skids and Mudflap in confinement for their actions. Storm was thoroughly done with the situation, however. She turned around as the Autobot weapon's specialist grabbed the struggling set of twins, carrying them off to serve out their sentence.

She made her way back towards her shaded resting spot, sitting down on the stack of boxes before resting her head into her armored hands with frustration. Now she had a headache along with her current stress due to the heat.

She lowly lifted her head as she heard the sounds of hydraulic whirring, meeting Optimus' gaze as he spoke up to her with a question. "Are you hurt, Tempest?"

Storm smiled at him from beneath her mask, appreciative of his concern for her. "I'm fine, Optimus. They didn't hurt me nor anyone else, thankfully."

The Autobot leader began to apologize to her but she cut him off, holding a hand up to his face. "It's okay, Optimus. Seriously. After all, we're in this together, right? We've got to help each other out. Besides, there's a human saying that it takes a village to raise a child...or in this case, two idiots."

"Sweet Domain...If it gets any hotter I'm _literally_ going to kill over." Storm groaned out, collapsing back against the boxes beneath her.

Lennox, still within earshot, barked out a laugh. "You're _still_ going on about how hot it is? If I have to hear it too much more I'm going to have Optimus throw you into the ocean."

Storm simply groaned out in annoyance. She was quickly becoming tired of the man...wait. He just gave her a great idea. She sat up from her spot haste, speaking to Lennox with excitement. "That is the best idea, Lennox!"

His expression shifted to one of confusion, one eyebrow raised at her as he watched Storm leap from the boxes she'd been sitting on and turn to Optimus. "Would you like to come with me, Optimus? I know you probably can't get into the water but at the very least, it'll give you some time to relax."

The Autobot leader was obviously hesitant in accepting her offer, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. "Oh, come on, Optimus. If at any point you're needed that badly then the Autobots can reach you over your communication systems."

Optimus smiled at her. "You are correct, Tempest. I will accompany you."

Storm couldn't hide her excitement, jumping up and down with her arms raised above her head in celebration as she laughed, not oblivious to the stares she was receiving for her outburst. She couldn't care less.

That was when the perfect idea came to her mind. She turned to look at Optimus, a smirk evident in her voice. "I just thought of the perfect way for us to get down to the beach without dying from a heat stroke."

Optimus tilted his head to her questioningly, asking her how she planned to accomplish such a task. Her response to him was short. A slip-space portal. The Autobot leader was obviously un-sure of how she planned to do such a thing as the only portal's that he'd ever seen were small. Much too small for him, at least.

"Come on, Optimus. As long as you hold onto me or vice-versa then you'll be fine. I can't say you won't be a little disoriented afterwards, though." Storm said.

Though he was hesitant, he knew that Storm would never mislead him. He agreed to her method of travel and she rubbed her hands together with a smirk, her expression hidden due to her mask. She activated the gravitational manipulator of her suit, floating up to Optimus' chest level before grabbing onto his armored exterior gently.

"You ready?" She asked.

The Autobot leader nodded to her in agreement and she willed open a portal. The swirling mass of energy began to slowly lift them off the ground and pulled them towards it, growing larger in size as they got closer.

"Here we go!" Storm yelled.

He was in awe once the portal enveloped them and had shut behind them. It was like he was staring into a galaxy, a myriad of various shade of purple, blue, and white flying past them at alarming speeds. He'd never before seen anything like it.

He was blinded by light when the other end of the portal opened, dropping them out onto the sand covered ground around the edges of NEST. He tired to stand but stuggled to do so, his equilibrium attempting to adjust itself. It seemed that Storm had been correct in telling him that he might experience mild disorientation.

Storm didn't miss this. She placed a hand on his metallic face with concern, receeding her mask from over her face as she spoke. "Are you alright, Optimus?"

His head rose to meet her concerned gaze upon hearing her voice, he nasal plating inches away from her face. Despite having his attention, the Autobot leader didn't respond to her, staring into her starkly colored eyes as he felt himself flooded with an un-familiar sensation in response to her touch. His body felt charged with electricity but strangely enough, it didn't hurt.

She trailed her hand across his face to his cheek, resting her hand on it as she spoke up to him once again. "Earth to Optimus? Are you alright?...You're beginning to freak me out."

"Yes. I am fine. My apologies, Tempest. I was mearly disoriented." Optimus said, finally responding to her questions.

She sighed with relief, removing her hand from Optimus' face before barking out a laugh to him as she phased away her protective armor. "Good. You had me worried there for a second that our trip through my portal had broken you somehow."

He reasurred her that he was fine, though he was all but fine. The path Storm had traced across his face with her hand was still tingling and he was confused. What was that sensation he'd felt? His spark pulsating abnormally and he couldn't understand why.

Optimus watched Storm with curiosity as she turned away from him, breaking out into a full run towards the ocean before, yelling wildly with excitement. He stood to follow her, pushing back his worrisome thoughts.

He resisted the urge to laugh but failed when Storm, who was halfway in the water, let out a surprised yelp before falling into the water face first. She surfaced moments later, her face flushed red with embarassment as her eyes locked onto the now seated Autobot leader.

"My combat skin doesn't give me traction like my armor would so stop laughing at my misfortune, Prime!" Storm yelled out in her defense.

Her words did nothing to stop the Autobot leader from laughing. She huffed out in exasperation, opting to give up in her efforts to enjoy the cool water that was soothing her burning internal temperature.

She relaxed in the water until it began to turn dark, when she was forced to get out or freeze, reluctantly making her way back towards the shore. She stepped out of the water and over towards Optimus, laying down beside him in the warm sands to watch the stars with him.

They stayed like that for hours, even after the sun had finally set on NEST. She let out a yawn as she stared up an the darkened sky, her eyes slowly closing on her. She had no energy left from her day filled with swimming.

Optimus looked over at her when he heard her breathing shift and smiled to himself. The Forerunner woman had fallen into a peaceful recharge. He slowly stood up to avoid waking her, using a hand to stabilize himself as he kneeled down over her, gently picking up her sleeping form from the ground.

He slowly stood up, cupping his other hand over her small form to shield her from the cold night air, pressing her against his close chest plating as he walked. He stepped over the chain link fence surrounding NEST with ease, making his way back towards the Autobot hangar to find Lennox so that the man could get her into her quarters as he was far too large to do so.

Once inside of the Autobot hangar, he looked around him. It was empty. Neither Lennox nor any of the other humans were awake. He looked down to the small Forerunner within his hands, un-sure of what to do. He had no way to get Storm to her quarters and he didn't have any other options, refusing to leave her in the company of someone he didn't trust.

He would have to let her stay with him for the night. He scanned the expanse of the Autobot hangar before making his way towards an open area that would accomodate his long body, being careful not to wake the sleeping Forerunenr as he lay down.

He cupped his hands over the female directly above his spark, using his large hands to shield her from the bright lights of the hangar and the cold that clinged to the air around them. Storm pressed herself further into him in response, trying to get closer to the warmth of his spark and he smiled.

Un-beknownst to Optimus, Ratchet had seen this, being woken by the Prime ipn his entrance into the hangar. He smiled to himself as he watched the display before attempting to fall back into recharge.

That was when he sensed something strange hiding within Optimus' bio-metric signature, a faint trace of a familiar frequency which he recognized all too well.

It was that of Storm's Ancilla.

* * *

 **Uh-oh, stuff is happening. What is this going to mean for the pair? I guess you'll have to stick around if you want to find out, haha.**

 **Now, if you all will excuse me, I'm going to go play some Destiny 2. I've almost got my Solstice armor at legendary status and I've got a lot of grinding to do.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Alright, this chapter is going to be a little bit short as it's the first half of a two-part chapter. The orginal version of this chapter I wrote was way too long in my honest opinion so I'm going to be splitting it up into two parts. I thought about waiting to upload in order to release the full re-written chapter but** **I didn't want to let those of you who consistently read my story down by not uploading anything today so I decided to compromise by simply uploading a shorter chapter with the second half coming later this week.**

 **Plus, I have a lot of stuff to do today so I unfortunately don't have all day to write like I normally would. I hope you all will forgive me for this.**

* * *

Storm breathed out a deep yawn, stretching her arms above her head to release the sleep that had accumulated in her muscles before lowering them and proceeding to rub away the sleep from her eyes.

As she did this, she registered the un-natural cold sensation on her back along with the excessive brightness around her.

She slowly opened her eyes in order to take in her surroundings. Storm was no longer out on the beach side. She was in the Autobot medical bay and Optimus was nowhere to be found.

She sat up from her laying position and looked down. She was laying on a human sized medical bed. It was beginning to seem that this one was reserved for her as it was the only one of it's kind in the Autobot hangar and it made sense. Storm was not human. She was an alien and her medical needs were vastly different than that of what humans required.

Storm felt a sense of peace knowing that should she ever be critically damaged, Ratchet would be able to help her. He possessed in-depth scans of her anatomy and physiology, more than enough to help keep her alive should such a situation arise.

She proceeded to stand from the medical bed, breaking herself from her thoughts in favor of phasing on her protective armor minus her mask before proceeding to look around for the yellow medic.

She walked around the large expanse of the med-bay towards the back where she would normally find Ratchet. Sure enough, the Autobot medic was there.

He was leaned over a large table, seemingly too distracted by something he was working on to hear Storm's approach. He didn't even notice her until she spoke up to him. "Hey, Ratchet. What's up?"

Storm's sudden voice startled Ratchet. He had not heard her approach, her footsteps silent and weightless.

The Autobot medic jolted up from where he was leaned over the table, managing to hit his head on a fluorescent over-head light.

He rubbed at his now aching head with his large left hand as he turned around to face Storm. She was laughing at his pain and misfortune, earning her a momentary glare from the yellow medic. "I did not know that you had woken, Storm.

Storm carefully rubbed her tears of laughter from her eyes with the back of a clawed finger as she responded to the medic. "Obviously not. You almost gave yourself brain...er...processor damage on that light. Sorry, Ratchet. I'm still fairly new to Cybertronian terminology. I'm getting better at it with the help of Sideswipe and Optimus, though."

Ratchet's expression changed to one of a slight scowl upon mention of the silver mech's name. The Autobot frontliner was a bad influence and he would have preferred it if the mech stay away from Storm completely. However, Ratchet knew that he couldn't control who Storm chose to keep her company. By Forerunner standards she was considered to be an adult and of appropriate age to be able to make her own choices. He would simply have to learn not to be so protective of the small female he had grown so fond of.

The Autobot medic was shaken from his thoughts by the sounds of Storm's small voice speaking up to him in a question. "Speaking of Optimus, where is he? I remember falling asleep out on the beach last night but I'm not really sure of anything after that."

Ratchet turned away from the woman, continuing on with his work at his table as he answered her question. "He is currently in a meeting with the human leaders. The Prime brought you back with him to the Autobot hangar last night and allowed you to recharge with him for your protection given your un-armored state."

Storm stared up at Ratchet in shock. Her face flushed with heat, turning beet red upon hearing this. She proceeded to cover her face with her armored hands before responding to what the Autobot medic said. "That is _so_ embarrassing...I can't believe Optimus burdened himself with me. He should have just woken me up and told me to go to my quarters."

Ratchet turned back around to face Storm, kneeling down before her onto one knee at the closest he could be to her eye level whilst speaking to her, a soft expression gracing his metal face. "I assure you Storm, it was no trouble to Optimus. He cares for you deeply. We all do. You are our ally and friend."

Storm stayed silent, her heart warmed with the medic's sentiment but still far too embarrassed to speak until Ratchet spoke up to her again with a question. "Storm, may I ask you a question?"

Storm moved her fingers, peaking out from in-between them at Ratchet. She was not yet ready to show her more than likely still flushed face. She simply nodded to him in approval.

Now having her permission, Ratchet spoke up in another question directed at her. "Have you been experiencing any physical pains such as headaches or abnormalities with your Ancilla? Perhaps any strange sensations from it?"

Why was Ratchet asking her such things? The tone in which he expressed these questions worried her. His voice was laced with concern despite his attempts to hide it.

She dropped her hands from over her face, hoping her face was no longer flushed as she answered him with the same worry her expression currently betrayed. "No. Why? I'm not giving off that broken signature again, am I?"

The Autobot medic shook his head from side to side in denial of Storm's question. "No. Not as far as I can tell. I was simply curious as it is my duty as acting medic to ensure that everyone on this base is fully functional. Including you."

Storm layed her right hand on her armored chest directly over her heart, breathing out a sigh of relief. "Thank the Domain. You had me worried for a second that something worse might be going on, Ratchet."

Ratchet chuckled at the woman softly before standing up, crossing his arms over his chest as he gazed down at her. "You are fine. But, if you would like, I could scan you to make sure the device to mask your signal is still functioning as intended?"

Storm nodded to Ratchet in agreement, taking him up on his generous offer. "Please? It would make me feel better to know that I'm not a walking target that screams "shoot here"."

Ratchet barked out a laugh at Storm's comment as he raised an arm to scan her. The Autobot medic was thankful in ths moment that Storm had agreed to his offer as he had other motives for scanning her that didn't involve checking the device he had made for her. He already knew that the device would still be fuctioning just as he'd intended it to.

He ran a thorough, in-depth scan, soon delivering Storm the results he knew she wished to hear. "It is functioning just as properly as when I first placed it on you."

The Foreruner breathed out another sigh of relief, her shoulders visibly relaxing as her previous tension escaped her. "Good. I'm not a walking Decepticon bullseye...Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go apologize to Optimus for falling asleep on him last night."

Ratchet momentarily looked up from his arm where he was still reading over the information from Storm's scan to inform her of the Prime's location. "Optimus is in the left hangar adjacent to this one."

Storm nodded to Ratchet in understanding before turning around and walking away towards the med-bay doors, throwing a clawed hand over her shoulder in a waving gesture as she yelled out to the Autobot medic happily. "Thanks, Hatchet!"

Ratchet visibly stiffened upon hearing the less than desirable nickname Storm had just adressed him by. He had been correct in his assumptions that Sideswipe was going to be a bad influence on the young femme, it seemed.

The yellow medic picked up a Cybertronian sized wrench from his table, throwing it in Storm's direction as he yelled and she high-tailed it out of the med-bay. "Don't call me that!"

The Autobot medic could her Storm's cackling laughter even from outside of the med-bay as she ran and he smirked to himself in fondness. Despite everything, her really did adore the femme.

Ratchet turned his gaze back towards the holographic image being projected from his wrist, reading over the information with the utmost attention. He was confused. The wavelength's of Storm's brain were optimal, showing no abnormalities which would indicate a potential fault with her Ancilla which Storm had at one point described as "rampancy" nor a reason for why Optimus would have been giving off the faint signal of her Ancilla.

For once, Ratchet was genuinely dumbfounded. This was a situation unknown to him. One he did not have an answer nor a solution for. All he had were questions. All of them eventually leading to one collective question.

What in Primus was happening with the pair?

...

Storm hummed out a song to herself happily as she walked over to the structure adjacent to the hangar she was in and once inside of her destination, she proceeded to walk over to stand beside Lennox; her mouth slightly agape as she stared forward in awe.

The NEST Major did not miss this, barking out a laugh to Storm before speaking up to her with amusement. "You like it? We put it together this morning while you were asleep in the med-bay."

Storm ignored Lennox's strange knowledge of where she was as she continued to stare up at the very new and very expensive metal platform which Director Galloway was currently standing on before Optimus.

The Autobot leader was speaking off screen, presumably for his own safety, to the human leader's which Ratchet had mentioned to her earlier.

She proceeded to cross her arms over her chest as she spoke out to Lennox. "Well, at least Optimus won't have to break his neck to be at eye level with the vertically challenged on this base anymore."

Lennox belted out in laughter, earning him the un-amused, annoyed expression from Galloway whom was standing upon the large metal platform.

He quickly stifled his laughter before turning to Storm, a smirk on his face as he responded to what the alien woman had said. "You mean _you_? After all, you're the only one he spends time with on this base half the time."

Storm jokingly back-handed Lennox on his left shoulder due to his comments. The man held at his shoulder in faked pain with his right hand as he yelled out to Storm in hushed whispers. "What the hell, Storm! That's abuse!"

Storm scoffed at Lennox's comments before turning to look at him, an evil smirk plastered on her face. "Yeah, animal abuse."

Lennox gasped dramatically as he held a hand over her heart in faked pain. "How dare you, Storm!"

Galloway once again turned to look down at the pair from the platform, his arms crossed over his chest as he cleared his throat at them in annoyance. He had obviously heard them.

However, Storm didn't care. She simply rolled her eyes to the liaison and he soon turned back around in defeat.

Once he had, Storm tapped Lennox lightly on the shoulder, a gesture for her to grab his attention so that he could watch what she was about to do.

The Forerunner female held her hands out a short distance before her at chest level making fists out them, her hands in a horizontal position as she began to rotate her right hand beside her left in a circular, cranking motion.

She slowly began to raise the middle finger of her left hand in tandem with this action, shooting Galloway an insulting human gesture that went un-seen by the man.

Storm proceeded to open her right hand, gesturing to her left hand as she looked to Lennox with a smirk, wiggling her eyebrows at him playfully.

These actions caused the NEST Major to cover his mouth in order to stifle his laughter. However, it didn'tt work. His efforts to hide his emotions only furthered them, causing the man to choke on air before he began to snort violently.

The excessive noise once again attracted the attention of Galloway. Thankfully, Storm was able to use her advanced reflexes to hide both of her hands behind her back.

She avoided the liaison's gaze as she whistled with non-chalance, ignoring the choked up Lennox beside her as if he wasn't slowly dying of laughter.

Galloway may not have seen the events that had transpired, but Optimus had seen everything. He had witnessed Storm's actions from his peripherals.

The Autobot leader knew that it was disrespectful of her, but he couldn't control what Storm did nor would he ever try. He would never attempt to stifle her fiery spirit which he and the other Autobots enjoyed so much.

Once Optimus was finally done with the human leaders and their seemingly never-ending questions as well as with Galloway, he looked over to Storm. She was apologizing to Lennox for her almost "killing him with laughter" due to her earlier actions.

The NEST Major brushed off her apology. She had nothing to apologize for. Instead, he opted to say good-bye to he; stating that he had an incoming shipment of supplies for the base which would need to be promptly organized as soon as they arrived.

Storm understood the man's early departure. Lennox had his duties and she did not wish to interfere with them.

Once the NEST Major had disappeared from her sight, Storm walked over towards Optimus and the platform he was still standing close to, activating the gravitational manipulator of her suit in order to slowly glide up onto the metal platform. She landed gently on it's surface before turning to face the Autobot leader.

Storm was able to see almost everything from the tall platform, gazing out over the base with amazement as she spoke. "Wow! This is an amazing view! Not only that, but now you don't have to struggle to speak to the short people on this base. Including me."

Optimus chuckled to Storm as he brought his body closer towards her, the only thing seperating the pair being the metal railing of the platform. "Are you alright, Tempest?"

Storm leaned onto the metal railing of the platform, her left cheek resting in her armored left hand as she smirked up at the Autobot leader. "Other than a wrench being thrown at me this morning for addressing Ratchet by "Hatchet" and almost murdering Will by flipping-off Galloway, yeah. I would say I'm doing just fine."

Optimus smiled at the Forerunner female as he stared into her two-toned eyes, watching her gray tinted lips move as she spoke with obvious sarcasm. "So, what did the human leader's want with you this time? I swear, if they don't stop asking us for out weapon's technology every other damn day I think I'm going to rip my hair out."

Upon hearing Storm's question, Optimus' expression changed to one of seriousness. "The humans do not trust us...They believe the reasoning for the Decepticons still residing on Earth is that they are hunting us. They have demanded that the All-Spark shard in my possession be handed over to human military forces as they believe that it would be better secured within their hands. I believe that it would be best if I relenquished the shard to the humans, also."

Storm stood up straight, her body and mind flooded with panic upon hearing what the humans had asked of Optimus and how he wished to hand over the shard to them without question. He did not understand the risk this posed. Not just to her and her duty to The Mantle, but to the humans as well.

She had no doubts that all possible outcomes of this situation would lead to the humans annihilating themselves. They would no doubt experiment on the shard, allowing them access to technology the likes of which they had never seen nor were they mentally capable of handling.

She couldn't let that happen.

* * *

 **The first half of this chapter is done and I am officially worn out.**

 **Seriously though, stuff is beginning to heat up in preperation for the second Transformers movie. It won't be too much longer before we start on that and the emotional tranwreck will commence. I'm really dreading writing certain parts again because I know I'll get emotional myself. (I'm a very senstive person, haha.)**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter despite it's short nature and as always, thank you for reading.**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

* * *

Storm was upset and rightfully so, this emotion resonating in her voice once she spoke. The Autobot leader hadn't bothered to tell her this very important information.

As far as she knew, the All-Spark had been destroyed when it was forced into Megatron's chest by Sam. "Okay, first of all, I had no idea there was anything left of the All-Spark. Second of all, there exist a million and one reason as to why that is the worst damn idea. The humans aren't equipped mentally nor physically to handle the shard."

Optimus agreed with Storm. In some aspects, he himself did not believe the humans ready to handle the responsibility of the All-Spark shard. However, he said nothing, opting simply to listen to his now irate ally as she continued to speak to him. "Look Optimus, I don't want to sound rude, but The Mantle requires that I intervene with sentient races in order to keep them from being their own downfall. This is exactly a situation that could potentially cause that. One that I can't afford if it goes wrong."

In that moment, hearing Storm's words, Optimus began to feel guilt wash over him. He hadn't taken into account that his decision could be something which would affect Storm greatly. As the last of her kind, Storm felt that she had a duty to uphold the legacy of her people as her creators had intended, just as he did with being Prime and looking after what little remained of his people.

However, Storm had more than simply a small group of her people to look after as he did. She had the fate of the whole universe resting on her shoulders.

Optimus spoke up to Storm, responding to her with the same guilt his expression currently betrayed. "My apologies, Tempest...I should have been more considerate of you and you're duty to The Mantle."

The guilt laced tone of Optimus' voice and his guilt ridden expression only served to make Storm feel guilty herself. Perhaps she had been too hard on Optimus. He didn't deserve to be the object in which she took out her anger when he was only doing what he felt was right.

He desired the trust of the humans and he was willing to sacrifice the last shard of the All-Spark for it. For once Optimus was human, displaying a fallibility she had not yet seen from him.

Storm smiled to the Autobot leader softly as she reached out to him with her armored right hand, placing it on the plating of his cheek before making light circles against the warm metal. "It's okay, Optimus...But why would you think it's a good idea to hand the shard over to the humans? What would stop the humans in trying to reverse engineer the technology of the shard for the advanced weaponry we have been so vehemntly denying them?"

Optimus knew that Storm was right in her questions to him. There would be nothing stopping the humans aside from he and Storm explicitly adding into the NEST treaty that they barred the humans outright from having access to Cybertronian and Forerunner technology.

However, at the end of the day, this treaty was only a piece of paper. It was something the humans could decide to disregard should they come to the consensus that the weapon's technology was more important than their treaty with them.

Storm sighed heavily with emotion, removing her armored right hand from Optimus' cheek plating in favor of dragging it down her face tiredly as she spoke with seriousness. "Optimus, whatever decision you decided to make, I will stand beside it as I trust you and your judgement. However, if you decide to follow through with your original choice in handing over the All-Spark shard to the humans and the situation grows out of hand, just know that I will be forced to act. Even if it's in a way that you disagree with which could ruin or friendship because at the end of the day, I am bound by my duty to The Mantle. If I have to break my half of the treaty in order to save the humans from being their own destruction then so be it."

Optimus looked to the Forerunner before him with sadness. He did not wish for such an outcome as he knew that Storm would most likely be forced off planet by the humans in retaliation for her actions, thus being forced to leave behind Sam as well as everything else she had come to love of Earth. "I will not let it come to that, Tempest. I promise you this."

Storm grinned to Optimus from ear to ear, exposing her elongated canines to him before leaping over the metal railing of the platform she was standing atop onto his face; his spark lurching strangely at the sudden contact.

The Autobot leader brought a large hand up to cup it around the woman protectively so as to keep her from falling whilst she spoke to him. "Good. Because you guys are like my second family and I don't want to lose that. So just think about it and weigh your options before you make a solid decision regarding the shard."

Unbeknownst to the pair, Sideswipe had walked into the hangar at that exact moment, catching the two in their embrace. The silver mech smirked to himself, cupping a large hand around each side of his mouth before yelling out to his Prime and the Forerunner female. "Go get a room you two! No-bot wants to see you spark-merge out here in the open!"

Storm pulled back from her embrace of the Autobot leader's facial plating in order to look over towards the sound of Sideswipe's voice, briefly looking back to Optimus with a confused expression on her face. "Huh?...What's a spark-merge?"

Optimus seemingly began to choke on air upon hearing Storm's question as she registered the audible sound of his cooling fans switching on.

He gently grabbed Storm from where she was gripping onto his nasal plating, setting her down in the palm of his other hand as he answered her. "That is a question better suited for Ratchet, I'm afraid."

As Sideswipe wheeled over to the pair, Storm nodded to Optimus in understanding. "Aright. I'll ask him about it later then."

Once next to the alien leader's, Sideswipe looked down to Optimus' palm, speaking up to the Forerunner female held in the Prime's grasp with a question. "Hey, Stormy. Would you like to accompany me on a _top-secret activity_?"

Storm looked up to the silver mech with suspicion as she crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly. "It depends...Define what you mean by "top-secret activity"."

Sideswipe smirked at Storm devilishly as he leaned in closer towards her. "A prank."

Storm was intrigued hearing Sideswipe's response. But there was simply not enough information for her to agree to this "prank" just yet.

Her expression never lost it's suspicion, taking on an underlying hint of confusion as she spoke up to the silver mech with a question of her own. "On who?"

The Autobot frontliner crossed his arms over his chest proudly, mimicking Storm from where she currently sat within Optimus' palm. "On the Hatchet."

Storm's eyes lit up with excited mischief upon hearing whom it was Sideswipe wished to prank. She would never pass up an opportunity to prank the yellow medic.

Storm definitely wanted a part in this plan. "Alright. I'm in."

Sideswipe smirked proudly in response to Storm's agreement. He knew that the small Forerunner would be just the femme for him to go to as she was always willing to be his partner in crime. No matter the circumstances.

Storm proceeded to stand from her place in Optimus' plam, holding out her arms to the silver mech in a getsure for him to pick her up and he obliged; taking the small female from his Prime before placing Storm in the open palm of his right hand.

Sideswipe began to roll away as Storm peaked out from around his arm, waving to Optimus with an armored hand as she yelled out to him, an excited expression plastered on her face. "I'll see you later, Optimus!"

The Autobot leader chuckled over the woman's excited actions before he began to rub at the area above his spark chamber absent-mindedly. The strange, uncomfortable sensation from earlier still resonating from it.

This action was not lost to Storm. She had seen it just as Sideswipe had rounded the corner with her to set off on their quest to go find Ratchet.

She wondered to herself silently if Optimus was feeling alright, debating on if she should tell Ratchet of what she had just witnessed once he no longer had a death-wish for her concluding whatever it was she and Sideswipe were about to do to him.

As they made their way over towards the med-bay, Storm spoke up to Sideswipe with a question. "Tell me, what is this plan of your's to prank Ratchet?"

Sideswipe smirked to Storm in response to her question. He had hoped that she would ask as he was dying to tell her of his plan. "I managed to find some of this stuff today in the base supplies called ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer. I figured we could dump it on the Hatchet and then stick stuff to him. Once it soldifies, it'll be _impossible_ for him to get off."

What the silver mech had said was an absolute mouthfull, one which Storm did not understand in the slightest. She looked up to Sideswipe with confusion, her voice resonating with this same emotion. "Uh-huh...And what the hell is that, exactly? Because you've totally lost me."

Sideswipe barked out a laugh to the Forerunner female due to her lack of understanding. To him, her ignorance was rather adorable. "It's a liquid synthetic rubber used in the building of human structures and homes."

Storm was immediately filled with worry upon hearing this. There was only one place the silver mech could have acquired this substance and if Sideswipe had taken it directly from the supplies Will had been talking to her about earlier like she was thinking, they both could possibly get into _a lot_ of trouble for taking it. "Are you sure we won't get into trouble for this, Sides?...Because I distinctly remember Will saying that he had ordered supplies for the base today and if that's part of it, we could get in _big_ trouble."

Sideswipe simply shook his head from side to side in response to Storm, smirking down at her with a visible glint of mischief in his optics. "Nah. Besides, if we do, I'll just take all the blame for it. We can't have the Forerunner leader gaining that kind of reputation and me losing my partner in crime, now can we?"

Sideswipe's attempts at reassurance did nothing to lessen Storm's confusion and worry. However, she pushed back these sensations, once again speaking up the mech with a question. "Why are we going to be putting this stuff on Ratchet, anyways? I'm not really seeing the point in simply dumping a bunch of synthetic rubber on him. We don't even have anything to stick to him."

In response to Storm's question and statements, Sideswipe stopped in his tracks, proceeding to pull out four large bags of feathers from his sub-space.

As to how the silver mech had gotten the feathers, Storm did not know nor did she wish to ask. She assumed it was safer that way. In the event they got caught, the less she knew the better.

As Sideswipe began to place the bags of feathers back within his sub-space, it dawned on Storm exactly what the liquid rubber was for. "Oh...we're going to turn Ratchet into the world's largest, sentient, reverse pillow."

Sideswipe belted out loudly in laughter due to Storm's comment as he continued on towards the med-bay before responding to her, eventually stopping just outside the door. "That's definitely one way of putting it."

Storm's excitement was only exacerbated as she imagined Ratchet covered in the synthetic rubber and feathers. She was quickly becoming impatient, this emotion apparent as she spoke. "I am _so_ ready for this. When do we start?"

The Autobot frontliner shrugged his shoulders in response to Storm's question. "Now if you want. However, we'll need to see if Ratchet is in recharge or not first. He normally goes into recharge around this time if he's able. If he's not, then this is going to be tricky to pull off."

So far, the plan was plausible. The only thing they needed to figure out was how they were going to check on Ratchet to see if he was in recharge without raising the medic's suspicions.

The pair debated silently for several moments, this silence only being broken once Storm clapped her armored hands together whilst speaking, drawing Sideswipe's attention. "Put me down, Sides. I know a way we can see if Ratchet is asleep or not without alerting him."

Sideswipe obliged the woman in her request, putting the Forerunner female down gently at the base of his wheeled feet.

Storm grinned up at the silver mech before willing her protective mask over her face and activating the cloaking technology of her suit, bending the light around her which subsequently turned her completely invisible.

Sideswipe began to glance around frantically for Storm as he whispered for her quietly without moving. He was afraid that if he moved even an inch, he might accidently step on the invisible female.

The Autobot frontliner switched on his thermal vision but couldn't register Storm's heat signature. She was gone. At least, so he thought.

Storm yelled up to the obviously confused mech in hushed whispers, drawing his attention to the spot she resided in though he couldn't see her. "I'm down here, Sides! Near the door! I need you to open it with just enough room for me to slip into the med-bay!...Keep the door open until I come back!"

Sideswipe pushed back his many questions for Storm and did as she had asked of him, opening the door just enough to where the Forerunner could slip into the med-bay.

She entered cautiously, scanning the front of the med-bay for Ratchet. Not spotting him, Storm continued on throughout the med-bay in her silent search for the Autobot medic. That's when she finally found him.

Ratchet was slumped up against the wall of the med-bay with his head hanging low, his knees brought up towards his chest so that he could rest his arms on them.

The position looked rather uncomfortable in Storm's honest opinion, though she was thankful that the medic was asleep. She and Sideswipe would be able to continue on with their planned prank.

She turned back around towards the entrance of the med-bay, peaking out from behind it's doors as she deactivated the light-bending technology of her suit before giving a very surprised in expression Sideswipe a silent thumbs-up; a gesture for them to continue.

With Storm's signal, Sideswipe proceeded to fully open the door to the Autobot med-bay slowly with one hand, grabbing a large, heavy metal box once inside and using it to prop it open so that he and Storm would have an escape route should things go wrong and Ratchet wake up before they were finished with him.

The Autobot frontliner followed behind Storm slowly, genuinely surprised by the lack of sound from her footsteps. She was completely quiet as she proceeded forward, leading him towards the sleeping medic whom was asleep against the back wall of the med-bay without a sound. Had he not been able to see her with his own optics, he wouldnt even know she was present.

Once close to Ratchet, Sideswipe slowly removed the synthetic rubber and bags of feathers from within his sub-space, setting the items off to the side quietly before removing the lid of the liquid rubber carefully so as to avoid making noise.

He tilted the large can up in the air, pouring it's viscous contents all over the yellow medic as Storm snickered to herself quietly; causing Sideswipe to smile.

Once the can was emptied of it's contents, he set it gently down beside the many bags of feathers, grabbing one of the four bags before handing it to Storm.

She took it gladly, activating the gravitational manipulator of her suit before floating up above Ratchet's sleeping form. Storm ripped into the bag with the clawed fingertips of her hands and the bag's contents cascaded down upon Ratchet like snow, immediately sticking to the liquidized rubber.

Sideswipe continued to hand Storm one bag after another until they had went through them all, effectively making Ratchet look like the strangest duck in all of existence due to the random sploches of yellow that were peaking through the feathers and black rubber.

Everything was going according to plan...Thst was until Ratchet was suddenly contacted over his communication systems, rousing him from the deep hold of sleep.

Sideswipe hurriedly plucked Storm from the air upon seeing this, wheeling off with her in his hand as Ratchet looked over himself in shock. The Autobot medic growled out loudly in anger before rushing after the pair to get his revenge on them for what they had done to him.

The pair flew out of the med-bay with haste with a rampant medic hot on their tail, leaving a trail of loose feathers behind him as he ran after them.

Storm was laughing hysterically as she willed back her protective mask, cupping her hands around his mouth as she yelled back to Ratchet whom was desperately trying to catch up to them. "Aww! You'd look so cute as a duck, Ratchet! The feathers really suit your yellow paint!"

Her comments only infuriated the yellow medic more as the entirety of the Autobots emerged to find out what the commotion was, all of them proceeding to laugh hysterically at the sight of Ratchet along with what Storm and Sideswipe had done to him.

However, Storm's own laughter was short lived. The Autobot medic was gaining on them _fast_ and she knew that they wouldn't escape his wrath unless they did something about it.

And she believed she knew exactly how they could escape the furious mech.

Storm willed her protective mask back over her face with haste, gripping onto Sideswipe's hand tightly as she yelled out to him. "Hold onto me Sides and don't stop moving! Trust me!"

After saying this, Storm willed open a slip-space portal via her Ancilla and Sideswipe did as she had said. He placed his trust in her, speeding up towards the portal that was growing quickly in size upon their approach before diving into it.

The portal slammed shut behind the pair, leaving Ratchet to abruptly stop his tirade.

The medic was visibly dumbfounded as to where both Storm and Sideswipe had went.

...

The other end of the portal opened up onto the beach side of NEST and the pair were flung into the sand harshly.

Sideswipe's equilibrium was shot, taking him several moments to gather his bearings before he could sit up. Luckily, he was still holding onto the Forerunner female after the force of the harsh blow into the ground.

The pair belted out in unison with laughter, Storm struggling to speak to Sideswipe due to her own laughter. "Oh my God! Did-did you see his face?!...It was priceless!"

Once Sideswipe had subdued his own laughter, her answered Storm. "Frag yeah, it was! I think that was one of the best pranks I've pulled in awhile!"

Storm breathed in several deep breaths to replace her lost oxygen from her hysterical laughing fit before leaning her head back to look up at Sideswipe, responding to his comments with pride. "Glad I could help out. Honestly though, I think we should hide out here for awhile and let things calm down. If not, we might get beat half to death by Ratchet with one of his many wrenches...Well, maybe not so much me because Ratchet actually likes me, but definitely you."

Sideswipe laughed due to Storm's comment. The small Forerunner was definitely correct in her statement. It was common knowledge by now to all of the Autobots that Ratchet had take to the alien female, almost as if she were his own sparkling.

No one dared approach the woman without caution for this reason, especially when she was in the presence of the Autobot medic.

The pair hid out on the beach with each other until it was dark, finally deciding that they should face the metaphorical music and return back within the confines of the NEST base.

There was just one problem with that. "Uh. Hey, Stormy? My wheels don't get traction in sand. Is there any way you could teleport us back to base?"

Storm chuckled at the silver mech before gripping onto him tightly once again, telling the Autobot frontliner to hold on as she willed open a second slip-space portal to take them back to base.

The portal slowly pulled them in, eventualy opening and dropping them out gently into the expanse of the Autobot hangar. The pair looked around with caution and understandably so.

Thankfully, however, Ratchet was nowhere to be seen. Given his absence, Storm assumed that he was most likely in the med-bay as he usually was.

Storm turned to face Sideswipe as she spoke to him. "Alright, Sides. Today was fun but I believe we should part ways. I need to go find Ratchet and make sure he didn't accidentally get himself stuck to a wall or something in our absence."

Sideswipe pouted with dramatic flair though he reluctantly let her go, telling her that if he didn't see her again tonight, he would surely see her tomorrow.

The pair said their good-bye's after this and Storm made her way over towards the med-bay. She was surprised to see that the door which Sideswipe had propped open earlier was still open.

Storm cautiously made her way inside the med-bay and she immediately spotted Ratchet with his back turned to her. The Autobot medic was using some form of tool to pick off the remnants of the rubber substance she had aided in pouring on him hours earlier.

She snickered to herself silently before approaching Ratchet, the sound of her voice obviously taking the yellow medic by surprise. "Wow, Ratchet. You've done a pretty good job so far at getting that stuff off of you."

Ratchet groaned out to Storm in annoyance upon hearing her sarcastic statements, not even bothering to look at her as he continued in his efforts to pick the soldified substance off his body. "Yes, I have. No thanks to you, _Storm_. Of course it is your fault that I'm in this predicament."

The Forerunner walked over to Ratchet, activating the gravitational manipulator of her suit in order to float up over the large table he was currently leaned over; using the clawed fingertips of her armor to assist him in picking off the durable rubber that still coated his arms as she spoke. "It is indeed my fault that you're in this situation, so the very least I could do is help you clean up the mess I've caused."

Ratchet simply hummed in agreement with Storm, allowing her to help him remove the rubber which was still strongly adhered to his body.

The pair sat in silence like that for several moments, picking at the solidified rubber until Storm broke the silence to ask Ratchet an unexpected question. "Hey, Ratchet? What's a spark-merge?"

Ratchet began to choke, he vents sputtering out heated air as he almost fainted from her question.

The Autobot medic already knew that Storm's question had most likely been caused by Sideswipe.

He was going to offline the silver mech once this was over.

* * *

 **Yay! Another chapter done!**

 **See, I told you guys I'd get part two done before the week was out. It took me awhile though. I kept spacing out while I was tryng to write, unfortunately.**

 **As of right now I can't say when the next chapter will be out. I may only be releasing one this upcoming week because the next chapter is one I will be editing heavily so I know I'll most likely experience writers block at some point (or multiple points).**

 **Despite this, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **So, I've had this chapter finished since yesterday but I wanted to read over it real good to make sure I liked it before uploading it. I had A LOT of writers block when making this chapter and I wasn't really sure if it was up to par with my standards. I still kind of hate certain parts of this chapter, but i figured I'd let you guys read over it and tell me what you think. If it sucks then I'll re-do it. If not, I guess I'll leave it as it is. Most of the parts I hate are those near the end. I like everything else, though.**

* * *

Ratchet silently scolded himself as he thought of how to answer the femme's delicate question. He should have known better than to let Storm keep the company of someone such as Sideswipe and thanks to the silver mech, Storm was now curious as to the nature of spark-bonding; something highly intimate and often not spoke of due to it's seriousness.

The medic would be lying if he said he was not the slightest bit uncomfortable due to her question on the subject, similar to that of how humans felt when speaking of their mating methods. However, he knew that Storm was considered an adult by all standards, fully understanding of the fact that different mating practices existed for different races given her status as protector of The Mantle and her duty to help alien races thrive and exist.

The Autobot medic turned to face Storm, attempting to explain to the woman what a spark-merge was to her in a detailed manner for her understanding. "A spark-merge is an...intimate gesture between two Cybertronians. It is when two compatible person's, considered to be spark-mates, unite their sparks together, sharing the energy comprised within them to create essentially one spark."

Storm hummed to Ratchet in understanding before responding to him, all the while continuing to pick at the solid black substance that was adhered to his lower arm with her clawed fingers. "That's...very romantic. I'm not sure why Sideswipe accused me of doing such a thing with Optimus, though. He and I are not close in that manner. Only friends."

Ratchet's expression softened upon hearing what the small Forerunner before him had said. Whether Storm knew it herself or not, it was obvious to him that she cared for Optimus in some form. And the other Autobots had begun to take notice, as well. The two faction leader's consistently seemed to gravitate back towards each other like an orbiting moon being pulled closer into it's parental celestial body.

Ratchet smiled to himself softly, thinking to himself in that moment that the human saying "like a moth drawn to a flame" was a more accurate analogy for the pair.

The Autobot medic was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of Storm's voice continuing to speak to him, a sarcastic inflection lacing itself through her voice though holding a slight under-tone of sadness. "Sideswipe's joking statements have no grounds for basis with me. I've never experienced a romantic attachment like that with anyone, but it's not like the pool of potential suitors is very large for me given my alien status and my duty to The Mantle...There is unfortunately no time for such when you're keeping the universe and it's many sentient races in check."

Storm paused in her explanation to vigorously pick at a section stubborn section of rubber, continuing once it had been removed. "Until arriving on Earth, the only person I had to keep me company is The Warden and my installation's monitor, Exuberant Witness."

Ratchet stared down at the female beside him with sorrow. Storm's life had been one of solitude and loneliness, one which had required her to stick to the proverbial shadows with her only companion being the Promethean hive-mind and the Forerunner Ancilla of her installation. However, Storm was alone no longer as she now had Ratchet along with the other Autobots for companionship.

The Autobot medic gently ran one of his large metal fingers down the pliable metal hood of Storm's personal armor in a gesture of comfort as he spoke to her. "There will always be a family for you here, young one."

Storm stopped in picking at the soldified rubber with her clawed fingers, silent for several moments before finally responding to Ratchet. "I know, Ratchet. It makes me happy. But honestly...this whole situation with the humans demanding Optimus hand over the shard has me worried. It's a possibility that I might lose everything should Optimus grant them the shard and the situation goes sour. At the end of the day, I _am_ and will _always_ be loyal to The Mantle. I have to do what is best for the humans, even if it's not what they nor anyone else wants."

Ratchet continued to stroke the top of Storm's head through the black hood attached to her grey armor for comfort as he responded to her. "We understand, Storm. You feel the need to continue the legacy your makers left behind just as Optimus does in his role of Prime. I, as well as the other Autobots, will not let the situation come to that."

Storm hid her emotions behind a smile, exposing her elongated upper and lower canines to Ratchet as she spoke. "Good...Now, tell me more about this spark-merging buisness as I pick the rest of this damn rubber off your arm."

Ratchet barked out a laugh to Storm before speaking up to her, a joking infection lacing his metal tinged voice. "Storm, has anyone ever told you that you are very good at ruining sentimental moments?"

Storm shrugged her armored shoulders with non-chalance, answering Ratchet with pride. "I may have heard it a few times...Especially from Sam."

After speaking, Storm chuckled to herself, picking intently at the soldified rubber as Ratchet gave her a full lesson on the meticlous inner workings of spark-bonding. He proceeded to explain to her that when two Cybertronians merged their sparks together, it bound them for life. Where one bonded individual went, the other would follow. When one died, the other would perish soon after. He expained to her that there was no "divorce" as humans so often did when they grew tired of each other. That once bonded, there was no do-over. No second chance. No potential for another partner as Cybertronians would only ever be able to bond with one other whom was specifically compatible with their spark's wavelength.

She highly enjoyed the idea of it as Storm knew how some races could be, especially humans with their fallible nature and ever changing goals and wants. Spark-merging left no room for error. It reminded her much of Forerunner custom as they mated for life in a similiar fashion. Nothing so intimate as a spark-merge, as sharing one's literal essence with each other, but in that divorce was no option. It was not even a concept for her people. The Forerunner would only take one partner to accompany them through life. At least, this was the case before the Forerunner had been forced into extinction by The Flood.

Storm spoke up, her voice laced with fondness as she did so. "I like that, knowing that you are forever meant for one person and there will never be another. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly jealous."

Ratchet chuckled softly at the small Forerunner before responding to her statements. "I'm sure you will find something like that one day, young one. Just be patient."

Despite Ratchet's reassurance, Storm was slightly saddened by his words. With her people extinct, the possibility of such was slim. However, she humored the Autobot medic as she continued to pick at his arm with her clawed fingers, eventually managing to remove the last chunk of solidified rubber from his arm before it went soaring through the air and landed onto the concrete ground of the med-bay with an audible noise.

She was triumphant, having won the battle against the difficult to remove rubber she had been associated with placing on the yellow Autobot.

Storm embraced Ratchet briefly before looking up at him, smiling to him as she spoke. "Thank you for your kind and positive words, Ratchet. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ratchet could see the emotions Storm was attempting to hide behind her eyes though he said nothing, opting simply to return the small Forerunner in her embrace. The pair eventually pulled back from their embrace and said their goodbye's.

Storm backed away from Ratchet, turning around on the balls of her feet before leaping down from the table he was still partially leaned over and walking off towards the still open med-bay door's.

She walked out of the large door's, leaving the Autobot medic to remove what little solidified rubber was still stuck within the small crevices of his chassis.

...

Storm proceeded to walk around the NEST base with no set destination. She was simply walking to clear her head of her thoughts caused by her earlier conversation with Ratchet. She was not completely sure as to why Sideswipe had jokingly insinuated her of doing such a thing as spark-merging with Optimus, though she assumed it was simply to tease her. The silver mech was known for such, after all.

She continued to walk until she reached the hangar where she would normally meet with Optimus to watch the stars. He was not here, presumably busy once again with either Galloway or the human leaders.

Storm sneered at this thought. She despised the human liaison with every fiber of her being.

She activated the gravitational manipulator of her suit, floating up onto the top of the hangar and sitting down upon it's surface to watch the stars pass. She sighed heavily before laying back onto the roof of the hangar, using her armored hands as a makeshift pillow as she watched the darkened sky lazily.

Storm layed there in complete silence, motionless as she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the wind and the distant rolling ocean waves as they crashed upon the Earthen shore surrounding her. She kicked her legs back and forth as she began to hum to herself, not hearing the approaching footsteps over her own humming.

Her unknown company listened attentively to her humming. Optimus had followed the sound of Storm's humming to find the source and he was genuinely surprised when he found her, the obvious source of the entrancing sound.

The Autobot leader shut off his optics as he continued to listen to the Forerunner, letting his auditory senses take over. He remained silent until she was finished, relishing in the calming sound before finally speaking up to alert Storm of his presence. "That was very good, Tempest."

Upon hearing the famiiar sound of Optimus' voice, Storm jolted up from her laying position, jerking her head towards the sound of where his voice had originated from. He had startled her. "Optimus! How long have you been standing there?"

The Autobot leader walked towards Storm until he was at her side, crossing his arms over her chest as he looked to her with an un-readable expression. "Long enough. I apologize if I startled you."

Optimus' non-chalant response was enough to tell her that he had heard her humming. Her expression was one of embarrassment as she looked at him, her voice betraying the same emotion as she spoke. "You did but it's okay...I didn't see you anywhere when I arrived so I assumed that you were busy and I wouldn't see you tonight."

The Autobot leader responded to Storm's statements with guilt. "I was occupied with Director Galloway, I'm afraid."

It seemed that her assumptions had been correct. Storm knew that the Autobot leader would not brush off their meeting to watch the stars without good reason. She shook her head from side to side, no doubts in her mind that the human liaison was once again pestering the Prime with demands for the shard on behalf of his higher-up's.

Storm rolled her eyes whilst sighing heavily before speaking up to Optimus with a question. "Let me guess, they're asking about the shard again?"

Optimus nodded to her in affirmation. "Indeed."

Storm snortled to herself as she continued to kick her legs back and forth lazily. Judging by Optimus' expression, it seemed even he was getting fed up with the human liaison and his demands on behalf of the human government. If the man didn't watch himself he was going to eventually find himself on the wrong end of a Cybertronian ped. "Of course they would. I swear, they're like children who repeat themselves constantly. It perplexes me as to how they earned their position as government leaders."

Optimus chuckled at Storm's statements before turning his gaze towards the sky in order to watch the stars with her. While he was sure the humans had earned their positions in their societal hierarchy for what they could collectively offer, he was easily becoming frustrated with their demands. The appointed NEST liaison had quiet literally been breathing down his neck, barely allowing him one moments peace without once again beginning to question him as to his decision concerning the shard.

The pair were silent with each other after this as they watched the stars with each other, this silence causing concern in Optimus. It was not like Storm to be silent for so long. She did not seem to be her normal, exuberant self.

He glanced over at the woman, wondering if she had fallen into recharge given her silence but she hadn't. She was still awake, a glazed over look in her eyes indicating to him that she was deep in thought. "Are you feeling well, Storm?"

The sound of Optimus using her nickname snapped Storm from her thoughts. She turned to look at him, a look of confusion gracing her face. "Huh? Oh, uh- yeah. I'm fine. Today has just been a rather stressful day due to all of the shard buisness."

Optimus felt guilty upon hearing this. He felt partially to blame for his ally and her current stress as this situation would have never happened had he not informed the humans of the shard's existence. "I apologize, Tempest. I have put you in a precarious situation in giving the humans knowledge of the shard and it's existence."

Storm shrugged her shoulders with indifference as she laughed softly, eventually responding to the regal leader with reassurance. "There's nothing you could have done about it, Optimus. Humans are perceptive. They would have found about the shard one way or another. This situation was bound to happen eventually."

Storm's attempt to reassure Optimus did not allow him to feel any less guilty. The Autobot leader attempted to speak but Storm cut him off. She knew that if she didn't, he would only attempt to apologize to her again, continuing to blame himself. "Look, Optimus, you apologize way too much. If you want to hand over the shard to the humans then do so. As I've already said, I will _always_ support your decision and if something does happen then I'll be here to intervene. So stop apologizing or I'm going to get Ratchet on you."

Optimus chuckled at Storm's empty threat towards him before responding to her. "I thank you, Tempest. You are very understanding."

Storm smirked to Optimus, exposing her elongated canines to him. "Well, when you're a few thousand years old like I am you learn to stand on the outside and look in, to see things from another persons point of view."

Optimus stared into the starkly colored eyes of the Forerunner female before him, feeling his spark act out in response. He reluctantly removed his gaze from her, turning it towards the sky above as he attempted to calm his spark and it's increasingly strange fluctuations.

He was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with his spark, something which required the attention of Ratchet. Surely his oldest friend and Autobot medic would know the cause of such strange fluctuations that were being emitted by his spark as he knew it was not normal. This was the second time now it had happened, and it was causing him to become increasingly concerned as time passed.

The Autobot leader was shaken from his concerned thoughts by the sound of Storm speaking up to him with an un-expected question. "Hey, Optimus? Do you have a spark-mate?"

Optimus was stopped in his tracks by Storm's question. It seemed she had done as he'd suggested and had been in conversations with Ratchet as to spark-merging. "No...I do not. I was at one point involved with a femme back on Cybertron. Before the war began."

Amara sucked in a sharp breath, feeling as if someone had their hand wrapped around her heart and were squeezing it tightly. "Optimus had used the word " _was_ ", as in past tense.

She spoke up to him with another question, suddenly not sure of herself nor if she should continue on with this subject. "I...what was her name? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Optimus exhaled heated air through his vents heavily before answering Storm's question. "Her name was Elita-One."

Storm felt her heart break for Optimus. The way Optimus spoke of this person told her everything she needed to know without him saying anything at all. He had lost this person in a tragic manner. "What, uh...what happened to her? If you don't mind me asking, that is. I won't force you to talk about it."

Optimus turned to face Storm, his facial plating bent up in an expression of hurt. "She was offlined by Megatron as I watched."

Storm's breath became trapped in her throat due to what Optimus had said. She already knew that Megatron was no good, but to kill someone's loved one in front of them as they watched? This made Megatron and entirely different type of monster. One without a soul.

She moved along the roof of the hangar until she was at Optimus' right side. Storm proceeded to climb down onto Optimus right shoulder, propping herself up in the crook of his neck before leaning into him.

She began to trace comforting circles on the armored plating of his shoulder beneath her as she spoke. "Words cannot express how deeply sorry I am, Optimus. You can take solace in Megatron being offline. He has attoned for his past sins."

Optimus took no comfort in in Megatron being offline as penance for what he had done to Elita. After all, the Decepticon leader was once his brother-in-arms. But he took comfort in Storm's presence. Her simple actions of physical comfort aiding in easing the ache deep within his spark.

Storm never moved from her spot, continuing with her actions of comfort upon the regal leader. Her heart ached for him. He had been through to much and it was beginning to show in his posture as well as his expression. Optimus looked tired. The kind of tired that couldn't be fixed with sleep.

The Autobot leader was tired mentally as well as physically. The years of fighting to survive along with watching everything he had come to love perish had worn down on him. This combined with the constant search for a welcoming home and final place to settle for him and his people had exhausted him in the most obvious ways.

Storm shut her eyes and sighed heavily, unexpectedly yawning in tandem with this; drawing Optimus' attention to her before which caused her to turn to him and look at him in return. She didn't realize just how tired she really was until this moment. "It's getting pretty late, Optimus. Would you drop me off over at my hangar?"

The Autobot leader agreed, removing Storm carefully from his shoulder with his left hand before placing her in the palm of his right one. Optimus set off towards the Forerunner hangar, making it there in mere minutes due to his long legs and large strides.

Once inside the hangar, he set his right hand down to the ground for Storm to get off. She climbed out of his palm softly and Optimus kneeled down before her. The regal leader was genuinely surprised when Storm approached him, wrapping her arms around his face with her forehead resting on his nasal pating as she spoke. "Optimus, you're a good person. Just remember that. So stop being so hard on yourself all the time, okay?"

Optimus chuckled to Storm as he gazed down at her, a glint of mischief in his optics and a light tone of sarcasm in his voice. "Is this an order, Tempest?"

Storm backed up towards the door to her quarters, pointing a clawed finger at Optimus as she responded to him, a joking inflection lacing her voice heavily. "You're damn right it is and if you don't obey it, I'll get The Warden after you or worse, Skids and Midflap. They'll annoy you to death."

Optimus was amused by the small woman and her bravery in giving him orders. Despite her being so small, she was a spit-fire who was seemingly afraid of nothing. "As you demand, Tempest. Goodnight.

Storm grinned from ear to ear at Optimus before turning around. She opened the door to her quarters and walked inside, breathing out a sigh of relief as she shut the door behind her. Storm had never been so happy to see her bed.

She walked over towards her bed, laying down onto it's soft surface as she phased away her personal armor. She didn't even bother to move the covers before she layed down, opting simply to lay down on top of them as well.

She rolled over onto her right side, eventually succumbing to the dark embrace of sleep which she welcomed gladly.

* * *

 **Alright, as I said, still kind of hate some things about this chapter but I guess I'll leave it up to you guys to critique it. If you do though, please be respectful. I doubt my anxiety could handle it right now otherwise, haha.**

 **Now, I'm going to go play some Assassin's Creed: Origins, maybe a little Destiny.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Guess what guys and girls, we've only got 6 more chapters (give or take) until we start on Revenge of The Fallen. I'm pretty excited to start writing on it and I hope you are just as excited to read it. I've got a lot of stuff planned for those chapters dealing with the second Transformers movie including a lot of heartbreak. I'm not sure if I'm completely prepared for all this heartbreak myself, but I'm going to trudge on through it for you guys.**

 **Now, let's get into this chapter.**

* * *

Storm jolted up from the warm comfort of her bed, startled awake by loud noises originating from just outside of her quarters. It was an un-welcome surprise.

She groaned out in annoyance, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before standing up from her bed. Storm proceeded to walk over to the empty dresser of her bare, monochromatic room, grabbing her hairbrush from off it's surface. The small, plastic, human-made object was the only possession of her's that resided at NEST.

She took her long hair down from it's bun, brushing it thoroughly. Her hair was a mess frankly and it was her fault. It's what she had earned herself in forgetting to brush through it before falling asleep thanks to her severely exhausted state.

Once finished, she placed her hairbrush back in it's former spot as she phased on her personal armor, doing so minus her protective mask before setting off towards the door to her quarters. As she placed her armored left hand on her doorknob, she could only think of how much she still wished to be asleep. She was still very much exhausted from the day prior.

However, she pushed back her thoughts, opening the door door to her quarters with much reluctance. What she saw when she opened the door was equal parts unexpected and surprising. Lennox was standing before her, seemingly just as surprised as she with his hand raised out in-front of him in preperation to knock on her door.

Storm tilted her head to the side, narrowing her eyes at Lennox with confusion. What was he doing at her quarters so early? "Uh, hello to you too, Lennox."

The NEST Major laughed nervously in response to Storm's greeting, backing away from her door in order to allow her room to exit from her quarters.

Storm exited now having the space to do so, shutting the door behind her before turning back around to face Lennox whom had begun to speak to her. "Hey, Stormy."

Storm crossed her arms over her chest. She was suspicious. The NEST Major seemed to have something he wished to say and she assumed it was associated with his unexpected early arrival to her quarters in order to wake her. "What are doing here so early, Will?"

Lennox smiled at Storm as he answered her question. "Important buisness. Walk with me and I'll explain on the way."

Storm glanced back towards The Warden whom was standing in the hangar and he nodded to her, a silent gesture which she understood completely. He had heard her coversation with the NEST Major. She had wished to spend her day with the Promethean hive-mind due to her busy schedule which had kept her from doing so but it seemed fate had other plans. She nodded back towards The Warden before walking off beside Lennox.

The pair walked for a few moments before Lennox spoke up, explaining to her what he had confinscated her for as promised. "I know you probably had other plans, but we have new recruits arriving to base within a few hours. Ironhide has agreed to train them against the Decepticons and I was wondering if you wouldn't want to help him."

Storm turned her head to face Lennox, scoffing to him in a joking manner as they continued to walk. "Yeah, as if that egotistical aft-pipe would want my help. He'll probably just want me out of the spotlight so that he can impress the new recruits."

Lennox barked out a laugh upon hearing Storm's insults that were aimed towards the Autobot weapon's specialist. In some ways, he felt she was right in that aspect. "Well, there's another thing I need to mention...the recruits have no idea about you, the Autobots, or The Prometheans."

What Lennox had said caused Storm to stop abruptly in her place, looking to Lennox with an expression of disbelief. This was a disaster in the making. "What do you mean they have no idea? If they are coming here then I think it'd make sense for them to know of our existence."

Lennox felt as Storm did. It wasn't the most desired situation, but unfortunately it was the way things currently were. "Thanks to the government, they don't have the clearance to know that you guy's exist until their feet touch the tarmac."

Storm sighed heavily whilst rolling her eyes. While she did not agree with with the humans in this aspect, seeing no point in lying, she understood their point of view. If the recruits blew the metaphorical whistle before arriving then it would cause an issue of national security. "Well, I can kind of understand the government's point of view. We wouldn't want any excited humans letting it slip that aliens exist. It would cause an uproar of epic proportions."

Lennox nodded to Storm in agreement with her statements as he waved a hand at her, a gesture for her to continue following him to which she obliged. The existence of the Autobots along with Storm and The Warden Eternal was of the highest level clearance and as of right now, the new recruits were at the lowest end of this spectrum until they stepped foot on base.

The NEST Major led Storm over into a storage hangar and she glanced around it's entirety. It was a wreck. It looked as if the inside of the hangar had been torn apart by a tornado in the attempt to clean it, most likely for the new recruits and their arrival. "Well, at least I know what all that noise was that had woken me up."

Lennox chuckled at Storm's statements. "Yeah, we've been working all morning. Would you like to help us out? We could use all the help we can get right now, honestly."

Storm pondered the idea for several moments before shrugging her shoulders, phasing away her personal armor before activating the camouflage response of her combat skin to make her appear human. "Sure. It's not like I have anything better to do."

The Forerunner's actions perplexed the NEST Major. He looked to Storm with confusion, his voice betraying this emotion once he spoke. "Uh, Storm? Why did you remove your armor?"

She turned to face Lennox, crossing her arms over her chest as she spoke which caused the man to laugh. Her actions were amusing to him in how similar they were to Optimus', one that the alien leader's shared in common. "Because, I have a feeling I'm going to be here for awhile and if the new humans arrive before this hangar is cleared out then I don't want to scare them with my appearence."

Lennox sympathized with Storm as he understood her reasoning. She was considerate of the other humans and their emotions. It was something he admired. After all, it was quiet a shock for him when he had first saw Storm and her true appearance, something he would have preferred a cushioning blow from. It had taken him awhile for him to adjust to her two-toned eyes and grey skin, not to mention her elongated canines that made her appear animalistic in nature. "That makes sense. Anyways, I guess we'd better get this done. We only have an hour and a half to clear out this hangar."

Storm smirked to Lennox, one eyebrow raised playfully as she began to pick up boxes for removal from the hangar. "Well, get your scrawny-aft over here. I'm putting you to work, Major."

Lennox barked out a laugh, playing along with Storm's joking demands as he began picking up boxes alongside her. "As you order, _my Queen_."

Storm couldn't resist the laughter that bubbled up within her upon hearing the NEST Major's response. She belted out in laughter, struggling to continue cleaning out the hangar due to her overwhelming emotions. However, she pushed on, working dilligently with Lennox as well as the rest of the soldiers within the hangar.

The large group had worked fast, surprisingly, Storm proceeding to grab some of the last of the boxes around her before bringing them out of the hangar with her as a military transport flew overhead, landing on the runway of the NEST base before coming to a stop. It seemed that the recruits had arrived exactly on schedule, doing so at just the right moment as the hangar was now for the most part cleared out.

She set the boxes she held down at her feet, watching with curiousty as Lennox walked out to meet the new recruits whom were now filing out onto the tarmac from their transport plane. The NEST Major began yelling out orders to the surprisingly large group of humans, earning him a well-timed salute of respect from the lot of them.

Lennox barked out another order and the humans relaxed, listening intently to the man as he began to speak, presumably informing them as to why they were at NEST minus the most important details. Those involving her and the Autobots.

Storm reluctantly set off towards Lennox, suddenly feeling a rush of nervousness hit her. She had thought herself prepared for this. However, it seemed this was not the case. She breathed in deep, attempting to calm herself before she reached Lennox's side.

Once beside the NEST Major, she began wiping her hands against each other in order to remove the dust and grime from them she had accumulated from the many boxes. She ignored the many stares she was receiving, turning to face Lennox with a smile as she spoke to him. "The hangar is cleared out just as you asked, Major."

Storm was not oblivious to the look of confusion she had received from Lennox due to her calling him by his formal designation though she had done this for a reason, making note to show respect towards the man before the new recruits as an example.

She ignored the look of confusion, turning her gaze towards the humans before her. This only served to make her feel more anxious. They were all colectively staring at her and their expressions were all different. Some of them looks of confusion, others of anger. She looked down to herself, assuming that the stares she was receiving were for her seemingly civilian appearence as civilians were strictly prohibited on NEST.

However, this was not the worst of the situation. As she scanned the crowd, taking in their expressions, she recognized a face in the crowd. It was one she was less than pleased to see. The famiiar face belonged to that of Trent DeMarco. She sneered visibly at him and it seemed the man had taken notice of this as he was now giving her an infuriated look, his eyes filled with fire and emotion.

Lennox did not miss this interaction. He layed a hand on Storm's shoulder, drawing her attention to him. It was obvious by his expression that he was concerned for her though she did not need it. She had dealt with Trent once. It would not be impossible for her to do so again.

She simply waved off the NEST Major's concern and the man turned his gaze back towards the recruits, gesturing to them with his free hand as he spoke. "Alright everyone, follow me. We'll debrief you and then get you set up in your new quarters."

After saying this, Lennox turned around and walked off, bringing Storm with him. He kept his hand on her shoulder the whole walk back towards the hangar they had cleared out together as a gesture of comfort. He could only assume that this situation was a stressful one for her, especially given her reaction to one of the soldiers minutes earlier.

As they entered into a hangar, Storm took immediate notice of the Autobots that were already there waiting for them. The sight of them comforted her, easing her anxiety and anger if only slightly.

Lennox led her over towards the Autobots and they stopped a short distance away from them. She turned around with Lennox to face the recruits once he'd removed his hand from her shoulder. The NEST Major looked to Storm and she nodded to him in agreement, understanding that he was looking for her permission and if she was ready.

Once again, her anxiety began to surface as Lennox spoke. "Alright. I'm sure you're all curious as to why you're here given the lack of disclosure before your departure. I, as well as the woman beside me, are about to inform you why."

Lennox turned to Storm, nodding to her as implication for her to continue for him. She sucked in a deep breath, crossing her arms over her chest as she took a few steps forward towards the group. She pushed back her anxiety, taking on a stance of confidence as she spoke. "You have all been brought here to NEST for intensive training. We aim to give you the skills to help fight against a collective enemy to us all. The Decepticons."

Upon hearing this, the recruits collectively looked to Storm with confusion and suspicion. She could only think in that moment that perhaps her being truthful and blunt was not the way to go about this. However, it was already too late.

A male soldier raised their hand for permission to speak and Storm granted it, nodding to him in affirmation. "What are the Decepticons?"

Storm began to pace back and forth as she responded to the human male, her anxiousness far too much for her to stand still. "There is no way to put this simply, but we are not alone in the universe. The Decepticons are part of an alien race designated "Cybertronians"...Almost two years ago, they came to Earth, looking for an all-powerful ancient relic of their civilization which had crash landed on this planet. Their leader, Megatron, is dead. Their forces crumbled. However, they still reside here, now possessing a grudge against the entirety of the human population. This is why you-"

Trent spoke up suddenly, interrupting Storm in her explanation to berate her in a disrespectful manner. "You have got to be kidding me. Are you serious right now, Storm? There's no such thing as aliens and even if there was, how would you expect us to fight them? This is ridiculous!"

Storm sighed heavily. Of course Trent would try to cause a scene here. After all, he was not on the best terms with her after what she had done to him.

She didn't miss the sight of Lennox's expression shifting from one of composure to one of anger. The NEST Major began to walk forward, fully prepared to reprimand Trent for his disrespectful outburst but Storm stopped him with a hand to his chest. She shook her head to him in a "no" motion. She did not need his interventions. She was capable of handling this herself.

Reluctantly, Lennox backed down, allowing Storm to defend herself. "I am very serious, Trent. Aliens do indeed exist and if you had let me finish with my explanation, you would know how we will be training you to fight them."

Lennox was furious, this much Storm could tell from her peripheral. It was apparent to her that Trent would later end up punished for his disobedience. However, this was not of her fault. Trent would have to accept his consequences once they came.

Storm straightened her posture, continuing on with her explanation from where she was so rudely interrupted. "Now, with that being said, you are here to be trained by a group of Cybertronians who fight for good. For freedom. They call themselves "Autobots" for short. You are also here to be introduced to their allies, The Forerunner and the Prometheans."

A shy looking female raised her hand in question and Storm granted her permission to speak. "Are they here? Like-like right now? In this hangar?"

It was obvious to Storm by the woman's stuttering that she was nervous. She gave her a soft smile, hoping to reassure the woman in her worries. This was a stressful situation, one which she was sure must be hard on the group as humans had been under the consistent assumption that they were the only intelligent life within the universe for so long, not knowing that they were speaking to an alien in this moment which was Storm herself. "Indeed they are."

The group of recruits proceeded to glance around the hangar in a mixture of anticipation and fear causing Storm to speak up, snapping the group out of their search and directing their attention towards her. "You need not be afraid. I promise you this...Now, I will introduce all of you to the leader of the Autobots."

The group of humans backed away ever so slightly as Storm turned on the balls of her feet, walking over towards Optimus whom was waiting in his alt-mode patiently. She patted him gently on the front of his alt-mode, whispering to him softly as she did so. "Alright, big guy. Show 'em your stuff."

Storm removed her hand from Optimus' alt-mode and the Autobot leader slowly began to transform, hoping to delay his transformation to his bi-pedal mode so as to not scare the new humans. His body continued to shift until he was at his full height, looking down on the humans before him.

Storm turned around to face the group, leaning against the inside of his large metal leg whilst crossing her arms over her chest as she smirked to the humans with pride.

With his introduction complete, Lennox walked over to Storm's side as she spoke up to the recruits with the same pride her expression currently betrayed. "Is that cool or what?"

The group of recruits laughed nervously in response to Storm's comments as they all took fleeting glances towards each other, gauging each other's reactions. That was when Storm heard the unexpected sounds of metal shifting. She turned to face the sound, her expression changing to one of complete shock at what she saw. Sideswipe had begun to transform without first being given the signal by Optimus.

The silver mech stood up to his full height, puffing out his chest to make himself appear more masculine as he looked to the new humans, a smirk plastered on his face in a cocky manner. "Nice to meet you. The designation is Sideswipe."

Storm was infuriated. She grabbed the clipboard that was attached to the waistband of Lennox's pants, un-clipping it from it's place before throwing it with all the force she could muster at the silver mech, hitting him square in the face as she began yelling at him. "You giant aft-pipe! You should have waited for Optimus' signal! You've ruined everything!"

Sideswipe was not phased by Storm's actions in the slightest. He simply rubbed at the bridge of his nasal plating with large hand as he leaned down before Storm. "Aww, come on, Stormy! You know I don't have patience!"

The woman was obviously not amused with the mech's pleading. She placed a hand on her hip, using her free one to point into Sideswipe's face as she continued to berate him. "It's not a lack of patience, Sides! You just wanted to show off, you egotistical glitch!"

Much to her surprise, Storm was picked up by a large hand. She let out a girlish squeak as as Optimus raised her to his chest plating, stopping the woman in her tirade against Sideswipe though not calming her current emotions, this much was obvious once she spoke. "Put me down, Prime! I'm going to kick his silver-aft into next week!"

Optimus chuckled at the woman and her empty threats, holding her close to the area directly above his spark. The thrumming of his spark calmed her in ways she herself did not understand though the Autobot leader was refusing to put her down despite her demands for him to do so. Storm simply gave up, resigning herself to her fate.

With Storm now complaisant to an extent, Optimus turned his gaze to the equally as shocked as well as concerned humans, formally introducing himself as well as the rest of the Autobots.

Once this was out of the way, he explained to the group of humans in great detail their origins, the battle of Mission City, and the All-Spark as well as to how the battle had come to happen though he omitted the details involving Storm. It was not his place to reveal those details, it was her's alone and he would not betray her trust in such fashion.

The Autobot leader answered all of the recruits in their many questions, doing so until the humans were seemingly satisfied. Eventually, he pulled Storm away from his chest, setting her down in his palm as he spoke. It was now her turn. "I will now let Storm introduce you to the leader of the Prometheans."

Storm raised her head to look at Optimus. She was scared, this much was easy to see. This situation was new to her. She had never been forced to reveal her identity nor origins this way...At least, not since with S-7 where she was forced to do so in order to save Sam.

Upon her signal, Optimus lowered his hand to the ground, giving Storm access to the concrete ground below her. She gently stepped down from his palm, clearing the lump that had begun to form in her throat. She was nervous to reveal herself though she knew this was something she had to do. "Optimus is correct. I will now be introducing you to the leader of the Prometheans. As you have already seen with the Autobots, the Promethean leader has been here all along, hiding in plain sight alongside them."

Storm took in a deep breath to calm herself, glancing around the group of humans once more in order to gauge their reactions before dropping the camouflage response of her combat skin, thus abandoning her seemingly human appearence for her true, Forerunner one.

She did not miss the shocked looks and gasps from the recruits before her as she phased on her personal armor. Even Trent was shocked, his expression holding an underlying hint of understanding. The revelation had obviously dawned on him as to how Storm had dumped his food and drink on him almost two years ago without her ever physically touching his plate or glass.

It was because she wasn't human. Storm was an alien, not of this world.

She pushed back her emotions, continuing to speak with audible anxiety, a metal tinge to the sound as it escaped her protective mask. "It is I. I am the leader of the Prometheans, though I am not Promethean myself. I am the last of my kind..."Forerunner" is what we called ourselves."

After saying this, Storm summoned The Warden via her Ancilla. Two slip-space portal's opened up behind her and dropped her second-in-command out of them.

The Promethean titan walked to her side, placing a body at each side of his leader as she spoke, the woman gesturing to each of his bodies with an armored hand. " _This_ , is The Warden Eternal. He is my second-in-command and guardian. He is also my longest friend. Eternal is a hive-mind, never knowing of death. He is one mind sharing an infinite number of bodies."

The humans before her shared fleeting, dumbstruck looks between each other. This was obviously a shock to them as such a thing did not exist within humanity nor their species.

However, there was more for her to explain. Storm spoke up once again, drawing the group's attention from The Warden back to her. "My race, the Forerunner, went extinct due to a parasitic organism we called "The Flood". In response to this threat, my people created many devices known as "Halo Rings". Their function was to destroy all sentient life with enough bio-mass to support this parasite in order to starve it to death. It was a drastic measure which my people designed. This parasite invaded our home-world's, leaving my people no choice but to sacrifice themselves in the activation of their galaxies orbiting Halo to prevent the spreading of this parasite."

This time, instead of the humans sharing shocked looks, it was the Autobots. Not all of them knew Storm's origin nor the fate of her people. They had not known that Storm was the last of her kind up until this point.

They could not even begin to understand what she had went through nor the hell which she carried with her. In the Autobots case, they still had the chance to reproduce, to start their race anew. However, for Storm, this wasn't even an option. Upon her eventual death, the Forerunner would be completely extinct.

The shocked looks of the seven most recent Autobot arrival's went un-noticed by her as Storm continued to speak, detailing her origins to the humans. "Now, you all may be asking how I am here at this moment given what I told you. This is because I was not alive at the time of my people activating their orbiting Halo ring. I was created after the event by an exiled Forerunner using our people's advanced technology. He wished for me to continue our race, for me to continue the Forerunner's legacy. However, I chose more for myself. I chose to adopt my creator's legacy of protecting all sentient life. They called it "The Mantle of Responsibility". I came here, to Earth, long ago in order to protect your species. This I why I joined NEST with the Autobots and it is why you were brought here. To fight the Decepticons who wish to enslave your world."

The humans seemed to accept Storm's explanation though with much surprise. She had not originally wished to give away so many intimate details, but she had hoped that in being honest with them, it would make them trust not only her but the Autobots as well as humans were naturally mistrustful.

In her years of blending in with their population she had come to find that humans operated on a herd mentality. This was something which could be combatted, however, by oversharing. At least in her experience, this was the case. Humans seemed to be more trusting of those whom would bare their soul, who would willingly expose their vulnerabilities.

Lennox did not miss Storm's sudden sadness, knowing that she needed time to herself. The NEST Major drew in the recruits attention, directing them over to the hangar which the Autobots would normally use for training with Ironhide following out behind them along with his spark-mate, Chromia.

Optimus could feel the energy radiating off the small Forerunner as he approached her. He understood that it was a difficult subject for Storm to speak of her past and her people's demise. His spark ached in sympathy for her.

He kneeled down behind her, using a large finger to stroke down her armored back in a gesture of comfort as he spoke to her with a question. "Are you alright, Tempest?"

Storm looked up to Optimus, covering up her current emotions with a smile. "Yes, Optimus. I'm fine. It's just...it's very difficult for me to speak of what happened to my people sometimes. I'll be okay, though. I promise."

With her permission, Optimus gently picked Storm up, cradling her to his chest in the attempts to console her. "Everything will be fine, Tempest. I promise you this."

Storm buried her face into Optimus' chest plating. She knew everything would be fine just as he had said. However, it was still hard to know that you were the last of your kind. It warmed her heart to know that the Autobot leader cared for her mental well-being so much.

She returned his sentiment in the only way she knew how. Storm wiggled out of his grasp before raising herself to his face. She rested both of her hands on the metal plating of his face, touching the forehead of her protective mask to his metal one, the projected orange light of the eyes of her mask meeting cerulean optics as she spoke. "You know, I'd love to stay here with you Optimus, but I agreed to help Ironhide train the new recruits against the Decepticons. I'll see you later in our usual spot, okay?"

The Autobot leader nodded to Storm in understanding. "Of course, Tempest."

Storm traced a smile along the plating of her protective mask with a clawed index finger, knowing that the Autobot leader couldn't see her actual smile due to her mask. This action caused him to smile in response.

He set Storm down on the ground before him and she gave the Prime a two-fingered salute, walking backwards slowly out of the hangar as she spoke to him with a happy inflection. "I'll see you later, Optimus!"

The regal leader watched Storm as she made her exit from the hangar, feeling satisfied with the day and how their introduction to the new human soldiers had went.

He began to rub at his chest plating absent-mindedly, once again feeling the all too familiar fluctuations from his spark. The sensation was beginning to happen much too frequently for his liking.

He decided that while Storm was training the new recruits with Ironhide, he was going to visit Ratchet. It was time for him to finally get to the bottom of these strange and un-welcome sensations.

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 **Uh-oh, a cliffhangar, haha.**

 **I'm really happy with how this chapter turned out surprisingly though I'm still not satisfied with my previous chapter. I kind of want to re-do it but I unfortunately won't have the time this week nor the next one most likely. If I decide I still want to change it then I'll get around to it at some point. (I hope)**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Guys, I am so, so sorry that this chapter was late. I normally upload on Monday but I was very busy with housework which I haven't been able to finish due to health issues here lately. Plus, you know, a really bad storm decided to hit my house and it knocked out my internet for two days which didn't really give me the opportunity to write.**

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Storm walked out of the hangar, reluctantly leaving Optimus behind. She turned the corner to follow the direction in which Lennox and Ironhide had left with the human recruits.

Once she reached the Autobot training hangar, she walked in, standing silently behind the group as she gazed up at Ironhide. The black mech was currently explaining to the humans what they would be doing in terms of their training.

She looked to the humans, their backs collectively turned to her. It seemed that they were un-aware of her presence. This was something she would need to bring up to Ironhide. While she knew that her footsteps were silent due to her years of training to be light on her feet, the recruits must always be alert, examining their surroundings constantly whilst keeping an open ear for anything even remotely out of the ordinary as the enemy they were being trained against were extremely cunning.

The Decepticons had rightfully earned their title and they would have no issues in using any mistakes on their part. All was considered to be fair in war and the group before her were ignorant if they thought for even one second that any enemy they faced would not cheat and use under-handed tactics to secure victory.

Storm continued to watch on, motionless and in silence until Ironhide spotted her. The black mech's expression indicated that he was surprised by her presence, even he failing to hear her arrival. She ignored this, holding a clawed index finger up to her mask in a hushing motion, a gesture for the weapon's specialist to continue on as if he hadn't spotted her. She wished to see how long it would take the human recruits to notice her presence.

Ironhide silently obliged the woman, continuing on in his explanation to the group that for now, they would observe how Cybertronians fought. The humans did as they were told, watching as Ironhide walked away and got into a battle-stance along with his spark-mate, Chromia.

The alien pair watched each other, gauging each other's body language and expressions before both rushed the other, each going after the other with deadly intent.

Storm was highly impressed as she watched the two, especially with Chromia. Despite the femme's small stature, she was incredibly proficient in holding her own against her spark-mate whom was twice her size. Thus, it was no surprise to Storm when Chromia managed to gain the upper-hand on Ironhide.

The blue Cybertronian had tripped the black mech causing him to fall to the ground heavily with an audible thud. This gave Chromia the opportunity to finish their sparring match, to which she did happily.

Storm chuckled to herself upon seeing the expression of defeat that was now plastered on Ironhide's face. The mech didn't take losing well, obviously. However, Storm was proud of Chromia for her display. The femme's small size had granted her an advangtage against the brutish mech. After all, it was much harder to fight something when it was smaller than you as well as more nimble.

Accepting his defeat, Ironhide stood up from his place of where he had previously been pinned to the ground by Chromia, explaining to the human recruits that what they had just seen was why they were being trained against the Decepticons. Cybertronians were highly agressive and messy fighters. If the humans wished to stand any chance, they would need to be trained extensively in order to be able to hold back a threat as well as evasive manuevers which would keep them alive in more dire circumstances.

They were being trained to assist them in holding back the Decepticons, not in getting themselves killed by fighting on their own.

Ironhide began to pace back and forth, his large hands held behind his back as he asked the recruits if any of them would volunteer themselves for training in order to be a learning example for the rest of the group.

Storm smirked to herself upon hearing this. This was her chance to once again prove to the recruits just as Chromia had that in battle, size did not matter so long as you were perceptive and cautious. She raised her clawed right hand in the air, keeping her left arm crossed over her chest as she spoke. "I volunteer."

Upon hearing her voice, the recruits turned to face her. Their expressions told her that they were obviously shocked, seemingly worried as to how long she had been standing behind them, especially Trent. The male appeared to be afraid of her now knowing her true identity though she did not take pride in this. In fact, she felt guilty.

While she did not care for the human male, she did not wish for him to be afraid of her and whether either of them liked it or not, they were a team now.

These thoughts soon led her to a question: why had Trent had chosen such a life path? She would have never pictured the military as a career for him.

Storm ignored these thoughts and questions, looking up to Ironhide as she waited for his answer. The black mech eventually nodded to her in approval of her volunteering. She smirked devilishly from underneath her mask before walking up to Ironhide's side, directing her attention to the humans in-front of her. She lowered her crossed arms from over her chest, attempting to look more approachable and relaxed for the recruits as she spoke. "Before we start, I would like to stress to you all the importance of always remaining vigilant when it comes to your surroundings. It is very apparent to me and as I'm sure Ironhide that the lot of you don't take enough caution within your surroundings. It could be said that you are safe on this base and have no need to and while that may be true, on the battlefield it will be a much needed habit which you should develop. The Decepticons will have no problem taking advantage of any momentary lapse of judgement you may have."

The recruits shared looks of shame with each other as Storm held out her hands in-front of her, continuing to speak. "The Decepticons earned their title for a reason. They are masters of deception and it worries me slightly that none of you noticed my presence when I have been standing behind you the whole time. If I had been an enemy, you would have already lost your life. Any foe you face, no matter _who_ they are, will not pass you over simply because you are un-aware in that moment. They will not be forgiving nor kind."

Ironhide agreeded with Storm's statements, stressing these points to the recruits with seriousness as everything she had told them was true and could be the determining factor between life and death. It was simply the cruel reality of war, one the humans would soon learn upon completion of their training.

Once Storm had concluded her speech, she turned to face Ironhide and spoke. Despite his inability to see her face due to her protective mask, he could easily hear the smirk she currently wore in her voice. "You sure you're ready to do this? I'm not going to take it easy on you, Iron-aft."

The black mech barked out a laugh as he walked over to the designated sparring area, Storm following just behind him as he spoke. "I am always ready, Storm. Now, the rules for this sparring session are as follows: you are not allowed to use weapons and you are not allowed to use the advanced abilities of your Ancilla. That means _no_ invisibility, femme."

Storm shrugged her shoulders to Ironhide, ignoring the strange looks she was now receiving from the recruits upon hearing the mech reference her cloaking device. "Obviously. It's un-fair and humans don't naturally possess those abilities. Besides, I'm not here to impress them, just to show them that size doesn't matter when taking down your opponent."

Ironhide tilted his head to Storm ever so slightly, a smirk plastered on his metal face as he got into a battle stance. "You are very confident in your abilities, Storm. What makes you think I'll go down so easily?"

Storm once again shrugged her shoulders to the black mech with non-chalance before getting into a battle stance herself, soon after answering his question. "I mean, if Chromia can do it then so can I. We aren't that much different in size and besides, I managed to take Barricade down by myself. You can't be much worse."

The Autobot weapon's specialist snorted air through his vents with amusement over Storm and her confident attitude though he admired her bravado. A good warrior was always confident in their abilites. "Time to test your skills, Storm. Give me all you've got and don't hold back."

Storm smirked once again from underneath her mask as she crouched down on her haunches. "It would be my pleasure."

Storm lunged forward without speaking another word, using her in-human speed to propel herself forward. Ironhide attempted to grab her mid-run but to no avail. She slid in-between his legs and turned around with haste, latching onto a lone piece of armor that was jutting out from his metal calf with her armored hands tightly.

Storm pushed with all the force she could muster, knocking Ironhide off balance and pushing him forward onto all fours. She leapt onto his back quickly before running up to his head. Without hesitation, Storm dug the clawed fingertips of her right hand into the sensitive protoform that lay just beneath his armor causing him to growl out in pain.

She did not wish to hurt Ironhide but if this were a real battle, she would not hold back. Storm had to prove to the humans watching how serious of a matter fighting a Cybertronian could truly be.

Storm had not expected what would happen next. A large black hand came up to reach for her, ripping her from off of him before throwing her in the opposite direction. The action reminded her of her fight with Barricade as he had done something similar to her.

As she soared through the air, Storm began to panic. She attempted to activate her gravitational manipulator in order to slow her descent but she simply wasn't fast enough.

Storm crashed into the concrete ground hard. It was very much painful. However, she recovered fast, leaping up to her feet. She began to monitor Ironhide's movements just as he was her's. They stayed in that stalemate for several moments. Not attacking, only observing each other intently.

To the humans, it may look as if the pair were simply waiting for the right moment to strike at each other. However, this was not the case. Storm was attempting to play it smart, using her knowledge of the Autobot weapon's specialist against him. She had learned in the closely approaching two years that the black mech did not possess patience, something he and Sideswipe both shared, surprisingly. It was one of his biggest flaws.

Storm smiled to herself from underneath her mask as Ironhide came charging towards her, completely un-aware that he had fell into her trap. She prepared herself to evade his attack and once Ironhide was close in proximity to her, she ran forward, once again sliding underneath the open gap in his legs as he attempted to crush her underneath his ped.

Storm used her momentum to propel herself up onto the mech's back much like she had with Barricade years ago before wrapping her arms around his neck to the best of her ability, digging in her clawed fingertips for leverage.

Storm shifted her weight backwards, using all of her momentum to bring Ironhide back with her along with minor help from her gravitational manipulator. He had told her she couldn't use the advanced abilities of her Ancilla and she wouldnt. He didn't say anything about the devices _she_ had invented, however.

The Cybertronian titan fell and Storm flipped herself around quickly to Ironhide's face so as to avoid being crushed from his excessive weight. Before he had even hit the ground, Storm had dropped herself down to his chest, digging in the clawed fingertips of her left hand directly above where she knew his spark chamber resided.

Ironhide froze in response, not daring to move from his current position for fear that the sharpened tips of Storm's armored fingers would puncture his spark. He had been defeated.

Upon hearing the weapon's specialist surrender, Storm willed back her protective mask. She was grinning from ear to ear, exposing her elongated canines to him in full. She was obviously proud of herself for defeating him. This was even more evident once she spoke, her voice taking on a prideful inflection to match her current expression. "I win, Iron-aft."

The group of recruits stared on at Storm in a mixture of fear and awe, all of them taking a mental not to put themselves on the bad side of the Forerunner woman. She was a force to be reckoned with despite her small stature.

Storm ignored the humans in their emotion filled gaze, jumping down from Ironhide's chest to stand at Chromia's side. The femme began to congratulate Storm on her well deserved victory, remarking over her skills and she was sure in that moment that if her skin was more pale in complexion, the blue Autobot would be able to see her current blush which she felt all throughout her body.

The Forerunner turned her gaze towards the recruits who were standing in complete silence, crossing her arms over chest as she spoke to them. "As I have shown, size doesn't matter in bringing down your opponent. What matters is how attentive you are. You must assess your enemy and their weaknesses in order to use it against them as they will surely be doing the same to you."

Storm paused momentarily, removing an arm from over her chest before gesturing behind her to Ironhide with a thumb whilst continuing to speak. "Ironhide is very strong. However, he can be highly impatient on occasion. I used this flaw against him, waiting until he approached me before launching my attack. Let this be an example for you to follow."

Ironhide copied Storm's current stance, scoffing to her as he puffed out his chest. "I am not impatient."

Chromia took that moment to chime in with her own thoughts, agreeing with Storm's statements. She began to accuse Ironhide of having these impatient tendencies which Storm had exploited. The Autobot weapon's specialist instantly deflated upon hearing the words of his spark-mate and Storm snortled. The femme had Ironhide wrapped around her tiny, metal fingers.

Storm shifted her weight onto her other leg as she watched the pair argue with amusement, hissing out in pain. This did not go un-heard by Chromia and Ironhide. They immediately stopped with their joking bickering, both of them now concerned for her. Ironhide came up to Storm's side, kneeling down over her as he spoke, his inflection taking on the concern his expression currently betrayed. "Are you injured, Storm?"

Storm chuckled softly, rubbing at the back of her neck from underneath the hood attached to her armor nervously as she answered him. "It appears that way, yes. I guess you threw me a little too hard."

An expression of guilt immediately passed over Ironhide's metal features upon hearing this. He had not meant to harm Storm to the extent he obviously had. He began apologizing to her profusely though Storm simply waved him off, smiing to him happily as she attempted to reasure him. "It's alright, Ironhide. That was the whole point. It was a sparring match and was meant to be treated as a real battle. No holding back and no holds barred."

Storm's reassurance did not allow Ironhide to feel an less guilty though she refused to accept his apology. She had fully understood what she was getting herself into when she had volunteered to spar with him. Injury's were a possibility she had accepted and the way she saw it, if nothing was broken and nothing vital was damaged, then this was the best possibile outcome.

The Autobot weapon's specialist seemed to relax once his spark-mate joined in, aiding Storm in her reassurance of him that she was fine. The black mech turned to Storm, telling her that since he had injured her he was relieving her of her duties in assisting him with training the recruits, stressing his desire for her to rest her battered body to which Storm did not have to be told twice. She proceeded to say her good-bye's to both Ironhide and Chromia before walking away towards the entrance of the hangar.

On her way out, Storm said good-bye to all of the recruits as well, wishing them luck in their training. It would be a hard road, but in the end, it would be one that was worth it.

The group seemed genuinely surprised by Storm's kindness, some of them even returning her good-bye before wishing her a quick recovery. This made her smile, her body filled with warmth.

She had been worried at first that the recruits would be fearful of her, but their actions just now proved otherwise. In terms of her relationship with the new recruits, everything was off to a fairly good start.

* * *

 **Alright, this is going to be another one of those chapters where the original was far too long to be one chapter so I'm going to be splitting it up into two parts. The next chapter may be a little bit short in response to this though so I hope you all don't mind too much. I'll try my best to get the next chapter out before the end of this week but I can't exactly promise anything as of yet.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Alright everyone, I'm back. I had planned on uploading another chapter last week before the week was out but somehow I managed to get an infected cuticle which made it very hard for me to type due to the pain. I have psoriasis which affects my nails pretty heavily so I'm assuming that's most likely how it happened. However, I am better now and can return to writing.**

 **I also wanted to bring up something I've been thinking about in my time away. I understand that for some people my story may fall into the generic "write your character in as Sam's friend so they have a place in the story" trope, but I did originally have other ideas for my story that I'm still debating on implementing though this would require me to completely delete my story and start over. Again.**

 **As I'm sure you could all understand, I am apprehensive to do this once again.**

 **I had orginally planned for Storm to be at a UNSC base where she and some of the cast from Halo would somehow manage to intercept Sam's recording of him and Bumblebee when he see's his "true form" for the first time when contacting the other Autobots. She would then be dispatched to deal with the situation due to her advanced technology and her ability to cloak herself. She would still be caught by the humans and experimented on (due to her existence being kept secret by the UNSC which is still the case in the current version of this story) and my story would follow the same timeline as it does currently though minus the friendship between Tempest and Sam which I've already stated I wanted for Tempest so that she could have that connection and my story would have humour to it.**

 **I also wanted this for the conflict that will arise later between Sam and Tempest in Revenge of The Fallen due to him desiring a normal life. I do plan on going into detail at some point of how Tempest met Sam (as I've previously stated) though I'm not sure when I will be elaborating on this just yet.**

 **Now, enough of my rambling. Let's get into this chapter.**

* * *

Though she was aching heavily, Storm set off on her quest to find Lennox, ignoring her current pain. She was sure in this moment that if it weren't for her personal armor acting as a form of exo-skeleton to support her body, she would be limping. Ironhide had thrown her hard and she felt it through every fiber of her being.

Storm could only think in that moment that if Sam had seen what Ironhide had just done to her, he would currently be berating the Autobot weapon's specialist for it. She chuckled to herself at this thought. It would be highly amusing for her to see her friend attempting to guilt-trip the much larger Cybertronian. These fond thoughts only served to sadden Storm. She hoped that once she found Lennox, the man would let her borrow his phone in order to call her friend.

Storm searched all over NEST base. She was un-able to find the NEST Major. Storm crossed her arms over her chest, thinking of what to do next. That was when she spotted a pair of soldiers conversing with each other. She walked over towards the two without hesitation, tapping the shorter of the pair gently on his shoulder with a clawed finger in order to grab his attention.

The man turned around to face Storm and a look of genuine surprise crossed his face. Given that Storm was normally reserved, staying to herself unless first spoken to, it made sense. She ignored this look, speaking up to the man politely in a question. "Pardon my intrusion, but would you happen to know where Major Lennox is?"

The human male was seemingly stunned by Storm and her polite tone, stuttering out an answer to her. He had seen Lennox near the cafeteria speaking to Director Galloway. Storm withheld the groan of annoyance that wished to escape her upon hearing mention of the liaison in order to respond the human before her, thanking him for his time before setting off in the direction of the NEST cafeteria.

Thankfully for Storm, it wasn't very far from her current position, reducing the time it would take for her to get there. Once she had arrived, Storm immediately spotted Lennox. He was writing something down onto a clipboard with Epps standing at his side, their backs turned to her. However, Galloway was nowhere to be seen. Storm was pleased with this as she still harbored resentment towards the man and rightfully so.

Storm approached the pair, examining Lennox's clipboard and what it said before speaking up in a questioning tone, announcing her presence to the two. "What's all of this about?"

The sudden sound of Storm's voice had obviously startled Lennox, the man visibly flinching before turning to face her, his eyes wide in surprise as he spoke to her. "Jesus, Storm. You scared the hell out of- wait, I thought you were supposed to be helping Ironhide train the new recruits?"

Storm chuckled nervously, proceeding to rub at the back of her neck from underneath the hood of her personal armor. "I was until he threw me into the ground like a rag-doll. He felt so bad that he relieved me from my duties for today."

Both Lennox and Epps looked to Storm with shock, the pair proceeding to glance up and down her armored body for any visible markings as Epps responded to what Storm had told them. "Are you alright, girl? What in the hell were you two doing for him to be tossing you around like that?"

Storm crossed her arms over her chest, shrugging her shoulders with non-chalance as she responded to Epps and his concerns. "We were sparring for the new group as an example of why you should never take on a Cybertronian alone. I also showed them how to use your enemy's flaws against them despite getting beaten into the concrete."

Lennox chuckled at Storm's comments, continuing to write on his clipboard whilst Epps belted out in un-restrained laughter. Once the man was finished, he spoke up to Storm in another question, asking her who had won.

Storm scoffed in response to Epps' question. "Me, of course. I used Ironhide's lack of anything close to patience against him."

This time, Lennox was the one to belt out in laughter, speaking to Storm in-between his laughs. "You're definitely right about that. He's a stubborn pain in the ass who's stuck in his ways. But, to answer your earlier question, Optimus has agreed to hand over the shard of the All-Spark. I'm currently in charge of filling out the paper work for it before a team is sent out here in a few day's to retrieve it."

Storm simply nodded to Lennox in affirmation of what he'd said. Though she was still un-sure of relenquishing the All-Spark shard to the humans, she trusted Optimus. Not ony that, but she understood why the Autobot leader wished to relenquish it. The humans believed the Decepticons to be hunting the Autobots and Optimus wanted to establish some semblance of trust with the humans given their assumptions.

Storm proceeded to speak up to Lennox with a polite request. "If you would Lennox, please come to find me once the humans arrive to retrieve the shard."

Lennox nodded to Storm in agreement with her request, continuing to fill out the paper work for the shard as he spoke to her. "Alright, Stormy. Is there anything else you need before I go to find Galloway? I have to let him read over these papers for the shard before finalizing them."

Storm perked up upon hearing Lennox's question, smiling to him from ear to ear. "Actually, there is. I was hoping to procure a cellphone for me to call Sam."

Lennox began to reach into the back pocket of his pants for his cellphone but Epps had gotten to his first. The man handed the celular device over to Storm and her face lit up. She was finally going to be able to speak to Sam for the first time in almost two years.

She thanked Epps before turning her back to the man, delicately proceeding to type in Sam's phone number from her memory whilst trying her best to not scratch the screen of Epps' phone with her clawed fingers. She stared down at the screen for several moments before pressing the button to dial the entered number. She felt nervousness wash over her as she placed the phone up to her ear, soon being filled with anitcipation as she waited for her friend to answer.

Her heart threatened to stop once she heard Sam's voice speak to her on the other end of the phone with a standard human greeting. "Hello?"

Storm stayed silent for a few moments, holding back the tears that were threatening to spill over from her eyes before speaking up in a response to her friend. "Hey, Sammy."

Storm chuckled to herself as she heard the sounds of Sam seemingly choking on air from the other end of the phone before he began to stutter out a sentence to her. "Stormy? Oh my God, I-I've missed you. How have you been? How are things going at base?"

Her friend was speaking a mile a minute and it was highy amusing. Storm chuckled once more before answering Sam's many questions. "I've missed you too, Sammy. And I've been okay. I've been helping to keep things running at base as well as helping to train new recruits although I've been temporarily put off duty because of Ironhide slinging me around like a wet noodle during a sparring match."

Sam expressed his concern for Storm upon hearing what she said in tandem with a concerned whirring noise, a noise which she recognized all too well. "Sam, are you in the garage with Bee?"

Her friend chuckled slightly before responding to her question. "Yeah, I am. Bee is worried about you because of what you said."

Storm's heart melted upon knowing that the Autobot scout was concerned for her well-being. "Aw, Bee. I miss you so much. I'm okay though, I promise. I'm not severely hurt, just sore all over."

Her words failed to stop the sad whirring that was coming from the other end of the phone and she laughed. She truly did miss Sam and Bumblebee. She had hoped that speaking to Sam would lighten her mood but as it stood, it was only serving to sadden her more due to her distance from her friend.

Storm pushed back these thoughts, speaking up to Sam happily with a question. She refused to focus on the negatives of this situation. "So, how are things going at home, Sammy?"

Her friend responded to her ecstaticly, rife with excitement. "You know, I'm glad you asked because guess what? I got accepted into college."

Storm visibly brightened upon hearing this causing both Lennox and Epps whom had been watching her to chuckle fondly whilst she responded back to Sam with the same excitement he had given her. "Really? That's amazing, Sammy! When do you start?"

Sam responded to Storm and her enthusiasm for him proudly. "Exactly a week from today."

Storm glanced back over her armored shoulder to Lennox and Epps, meeting their amused gaze. This was an important milestone for Sam, one which she refused to miss out on. She was going to ask the NEST Major if she could take leave from base to accompany Sam to his new college. Even if they said no, Storm would sneak off base if she had to.

Storm turned back around, responding to Sam with more excitement. "That's great, Sam! I'm going to make sure that I'm there to see you off no matter what I have to do, okay?"

Sam agreed to what Storm had said, stating that he couldn't wait to see her again. She shared the same sentiment. It had been far too long since they'd been able to spend time with each other though The Mantle required this of her.

She responded to Sam, doing so with sadness. If she wished to arrange for herself to leave base in a week's time, she would have to start preparing as soon as possible. "I hate to since I know that we haven't talke in awhile Sam, but I'm going to have to cut our call short. I hope that's okay?"

Though Sam was disappointed about this, he agreed. He had missed his friend but he wold potentially be seeing her in a week. He'd just have to be patient.

After this, the pair said their good-bye's over the phone and Storm hung-up. She stared down at the phone within her armored left hand for a few moments sadly before turning around to face Lennox and Epps, walking over to the pair.

She proceeded to hand the human of a darker skin tone back his phone before turning to face Lennox, speaking up to him with a question. "Hey Lennox? If I left The Warden in charge would I be allowed to leave base a week from today?"

Lennox shrugged his shoulders to Storm with non-chalance whilst he answered her question. "I don't see why not. He's your designated second-in-command and you even stated that in your half of the treaty. He has full permission in the eyes of our government to act on your behalf."

Storm's eyes widened with excitement. What Lennox said had been just the answer she'd hoped to hear. She lunged towards Lennox, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug as she thanked him repetitively. Epps simply laughed as he attempted to pull the woman off of the NEST Major, the man visibly turning purple due to the lack of oxygen from her tight hold. "Alright, She-Hulk! Calm down! The man can't breathe!"

Storm's eyes widened in horror. She hastily let go of Lennox, apologizing to him repeatedly before abruptly running off whilst stating loudly that she had to inform The Warden and Optimus of her plans.

Storm ran as fast as she could towards her shared hangar with her second-in-command, almost crashing into The Warden before she began explaining to him her plans with much excitement. She proceeded to ask The Warden if he would be comfortable taking over in her stead for a day so that she could see her friend off to college.

The Warden laughed at his leader due to her frantic speaking before agreeing to take over in her place so that she could see Sam off to college, knowing well that she could use some time away from NEST. It had not went un-noticed by him that his leader had been stressed and if he could share in her burden, even for just one day, he would do so without hesitation.

Storm wrapped her arms around The Warden's right leg tightly in a hug, coming to stand just slightly above his knee. She thanked him briefly before running off to find the leader of the Autobots.

Once outside of the Forerunner hangar, Storm activated the gravitational manipulator of her suit, using the aerial view to help her find Optimus. She spotted him standing outside of the Autobot hangar, their usual spot to watch the stars every night.

The Autobot leader was watching the Earthen sunset that had begun to cascade over the horizon absent-mindedly. Storm used the gravitational manipulator of her suit to speed up whilst she yelled out to Optimus. This caused the Autobot leader to hastily turn towards the direction of which he had heard her voice. He was visibly on edge due to her shoutingk.

Storm crashed directly into Optimus' face, almost knocking him off balance as she held on tightly with her armored hands. Storm was staring into his optics, her face inches away from his cerulean orbs as she spoke almost too fast for the regal leader to understand. "Optimus! Guess what! Guess what!"

The regal leader visibly relaxed upon seeing that there was no danger. He chuckled at the hyper Forerunner, answering her with amusement. "What is it, Tempest?"

Storm continued to speak frantically, a grin plastered on her face as she did so. "Sam is going to college and Lennox said I could got to see him off! I'll have to inform Galloway first but still, I'm going to get to see Sam!"

It was no surprise to Optimus now as to why Storm was so excited and full of energy. It had been a decent stretch of time since she had seen the boy whom was one of her closest aquaintences. Optimus gently grabbed the female from his face, setting her down gently in his palm as he responded to her with the same happy inflection he had received from her, the sides of his mouth plating bent up into a smile. "That is great, Tempest. When will you be leaving?"

Storm grinned up at Optimus happily from her seated position within his palm as she answered him. "A week from today. I'll only be spending the day with Sam, though. Then I'll be coming back to base."

Optimus was strangely saddened with the knowledge that Storm would be leaving NEST in one Earth week. He had the strange desire to come with her and when Storm spoke again, he felt almost as if she had read his processor. "Hey, Optimus? You should see if you can get time off base, too. I'd like it if you could go with me."

The Autobot leader used one of his large, metal fingers to gently caress the top of Storm's head through the pliable hood of her armor, gazing down at her softly as he responded to her. "I will see what I can do, Tempest."

Storm relaxed into Optimus' palm, shrugging her shoulders up at him as she relished in the calming sensation of his touch. "It should be pretty easy if you have a designated second-in-command. That's probably the only reason I'll be able to go is because The Warden will be able to take over in my place while I'm gone."

Optimus pondered the idea silently. With Jazz being his second-in-command, if he could manage to convice Director Galloway of his leaving base, he would be all set.

Optimus brought the hand holding Storm close to his facial plating, once again smiling to her as he spoke. "I will bring this idea to Director Galloway tomorrow, Tempest. I promise."

Storm leaned forward, hugging Optimus around his facial plating tightly. She was excited for next week and what it would hold in store for her. She soon pulled back from her embrace before patting Optimus gently on the face, asking him to set her on top of the hangar behind him so that they could watch the sunset together as was normal for them. They sat in silence with each other, Storm's head resting atop the Autobot leader's metal shoulder.

Despite her being Ironhide's personal punching bag, today had been a good day. She slowly closed her eyes, sighing heavily as she listened to the slow hum of Optimus' spark that was resonating up through his metal arm and shoulder into her ear. She couldn't wait for this week to be over.

* * *

 **I had some trouble writing this chapter due to writers block. It's obvious to me, but it may not be to you guys so I'm going to take a chance in uploading it to see what you guys think.**

 **I'll be doing my best to upload another chapter before this week is over and let me tell you, I am super excited for it. There's going to be lots of fun and interesting stuff happening in the next chapter and I'm so excited that I just have to give you guys a little hint of what's going to be happening. It's only going to be a one word hint, though. "Holoforms".**

 **Hopefully that gives you guy's a little seomthing to speculate on and to look forward to.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **One of the chapters I have long awaited writing is finaly here! I am so excited. Now, this chapter will have some development of Storm and Ratchet's relationship. I don't want you guys to get the wrong idea, though. It's strictly familial in nature. Simliar to that of what Storm has with The Warden except stronger in some aspects.**

 **I picture that with Ratchet being the oldest of the Autobots he would have that "fatherly" aura about him and I want for him to eventually come to care about Storm as his own so that way when certain events happen Age of Extinction it will be more impactful as both will have come to care about each other in a very strong sense.**

 **I've been keeping that little bit of information a secret for a very long time, even since the first time I attempted writing this story but I want you all to understand why I am choosing to develop this relationship between the two.**

 **Man, I'm sad now. Let's go ahead and get into this happy chapter so that I can cheer myself up a little.**

* * *

Storm was woken by the bright, aggressive light from the outside of her quarters shining down upon her face. She groaned, rolling over onto her left side as she covered her eyes with her un-armored hands. The light from Earth's orbiting star was far too bright, hurting her sensitive eyes at is invaded them ruthlessly.

She began to rub at her eyes slowly, attempting to rub the sleep from them whilst trying to relieve the ache caused by the bright light of the sun. Once sufficiently awake, Storm rolled out of the comfort of her bed lazily, phasing on her personal armor minus her protective mask once standing.

She walked over to the door of her quarters, opening it and emerging from her designated confined space before shutting the door behind her. Storm decided in that moment that to go visit Ratchet in order to check up on him. She knew that Sideswipe had become increasingly wild with his pranks as of late to relieve his stress and Ratchet and been the receiver of most of them. She needed to make sure that the silver mech hadn't accidentally offlined the Autobot medic which she had became so fond of with his mischief.

Storm chuckled to herself at the thought of what kind of shenanigans Sideswipe might have gotten himself caught up with in the past few days she hadn't seen him. The Autobots had been thinned out, most of them being assigned to patrol duty by the Prime. It was a stressful situation for everyone due to the surprising increase in Decepticon activity. More so for Optimus. She felt sorry for the Autobot leader as the humans were becoming rather impatient over the situation, demanding an explanation for it and a solution though the Autobots were just as confused as the humans were. They had no idea as to why the Decepticons had made a sudden resurgence.

Storm pushed back these stressful thoughts once she reached the med-bay. She walked in, looking around for the Autobot medic though spotting him nowhere. However, she did spot an older man, said human appearing to be in his late fifties. The unknown man was standing over a table, data-pad in hand.

She walked up to the man, taking in his appearence as she did so. He was wearing a lab coat, his hair peppered-gray to indicate his physical age. Storm assumed that the man must have been recently hired by NEST to assist Ratchet with his large work-load.

Storm spoke up to the man whom had yet to notice her, doing so with a polite tone. "Excuse me, would you happen to know where medical officer Ratchet is?"

The older human turned around rather quickly, looking Storm up and down multiple times with an expression on his face that held a mixture of emotions before locking his gaze onto her face. "Indeed I do. You are speaking to him."

Storm looked at the man with confusion for several moments before belting out in laughter, speaking to the man in-between her laughs. "That's very funny. At least they hired someone with a sense of humour to assist that crotchety old-aft."

The elderly man seemed to take offense to this, narrowing his eyes at Storm as he responded to her. "This "crotchety old-aft" takes offense to that, Tempest."

Upon hearing the usage of her true name, Storm stopped laughing. Only the Autobots and select humans knew of Storm's true name, and this man was not one of them. She stared at the human before her warily, narrowing her eyes at him as she spoke with understandable suspicion. "What did you just say?"

The man before her clad in a lab coat scoffed at Storm's question, rolling his eyes to her as he responded to her question. "You heard me, sparkling. I will not repeat myself."

Storm's eyes widened substantially at what the human before her had just said. No one called her by that term, not even the Autobots did...except for one. Ratchet. Storm began yelling out frantically and the human she was now sure was somehow the Autobot medic flinched at her shrill voice. "Oh my God, Ratchet?! Wh-what happened to you?! Holy- uh, I-I'l go get Optimus! We can fix this, Ratchet! I promise! Optimus can help get you back to normal!"

Storm began to run of with haste to find the Autobot leader. However, the much too human looking Ratchet stopped her with a tight grip on her arm to prevent her from leaving as he spoke to her with reassurance. "I am fine, sparkling. I did this to myself."

Storm turned her head to look over at Ratchet in surprise, her gaze slowly drifting down to where he held her arm. She slowly turned the rest of her body around to face the Autobot medic behind her and removed his hand from her arm in one motion.

She stared down at his hand that was within both of her's in awe, rubbing a clawed finger over the wrinkled skin that made up the top of his hand. His skin was warm and soft. It was shocking. Storm looked up to meet Ratchet's eyes as she spoke to him in hushed tones. Their human appearance was slightly disconcerting to her but at the same time, they held a gentleness she had never seen from the medic before. It was something that comforted her. "It feels real. _You_ feel real. Ratchet, what in the world is going on?"

The Autobot medic gently took back his left hand and gestured to his right one that still held the data-pad within it as he answered her question. "I have been working on a device that would better allow us to blend in with the human population if needed. I have designated it the "holoform"."

Storm leaned over towards Ratchet to look at the screen of the data-pad and her expression fell. She could not read let alone comprehend what the information said due to it being in Cybertronian. She leaned back from Ratchet, crossing her arms over her chest as she spoke to obviously proud medic. "It's a very amazing invention, Ratchet. However, I can't read Cybertronian."

The medic pulled the data-pad away from Storm, looking down at it in disbelief. He had obviously forgotten what language the information was written in due to his excitement in showing it to her. Ratchet began typing on the small device, speaking in response to Storm as he did so. "My apologies, sparkling. I was so engrossed with my invention that it slipped my mind."

Storm chuckled to herself as she walked over to the table behind Ratchet, sitting down upon it's surface before she began to kick her legs back and forth lazily. "It's fine, Ratchet. But what does this mean for the other Autobots? Will they receive a holoform as well?"

Ratchet simply nodded to her from his spot in affirmation, never removing his gaze from the screen of his data-pad as he answered her. "Once I have worked out a the bugs, yes. It is essentially ready for implementation now as it is aside from the minor issues."

Storm simply hummed in agreement with Ratchet's statements, satisfied with his response as her thoughts drifted. What would the Autobots look like? Would they all look as Ratchet does or simliar? Perhaps different? The possibilities were endless and it excited her. She spoke up to Ratchet once again in a question, her voice laced with the excitement she currently felt building within her. "Will all of the Autobots' holoforms look as your's does?"

Ratchet shook his head from side to side at Storm. "No. The holoform is an accurate representation of ourselves. I designed it to be the most accurate projection of what we would look like as a human."

Storm's mind began to run wild once again with all of the possiblities and her excitement was threatening to spill over. This became evident to Ratchet once she spoke. "Do you have any idea as to the estimated time for it's completion?"

Ratchet answered Storm's question truthfully. "Approximately three Earth days."

Storm visibly perked up upon hearing this. However, what Storm said next was something Ratchet had not expected. "That's great! I can't wait to see what everyone would look like as a human. Well...except for Ironhide. I can already assume that his holoform will just be an ass with legs."

Ratchet proceeded to choke on air and the pair bursted out in laughter due to the mental image of Ironhide's holoform quiet literally being a human posterior on legs. Storm fell back against the table she was seated on, laughing to the point of tears as she kicked her legs wildly in the air whilst Ratchet doubled over in un-restrained laughter, clutching at his stomach in a surprisingly human action.

Once she had composed herself, Storm sat up from her laying position, taking in deep breaths of air as she carefully wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes with the back of a clawed finger. She stood from her spot, walking over to the still doubled-over Ratchet before laying an armored hand down on his shoulder as she spoke, drawing his attention. "Alright, Ratchet. I hate to but I've got stuff to do around base so I'll see you later."

Ratchet stood up to his full height and was surprised by what Storm did next. The much shorter female came close to him, wrapping her armored appendages around him in what he understood as the human affectionate gesture of a "hug". She had caught him off guard, this much was obvious. The medic stood there for several moments, completely still before he finally returned the gesture, wrapping his long, human like appendages around Storm gently.

Though he was human in this form, he had no idea as to the capabilities of the holoform in terms of strength. He knew that Storm was not easy to harm due to her personal armor. However, he would take no chances, treating her as if she were glass, delicate and easily broken.

He continued to embrace Storm until she pulled back from him. The small woman looked up to him, smiling up at him from ear to ear as she spoke to him. "Be safe alright, Ratchet? I don't want Sideswipe almost severing your arm from your body again with his pranks."

The Autobot medic chuckled to himself, responding to Storm with reassurance. "That slagger won't get the best of me again, sparkling. I promise."

As if it were even possible, Storm's smile grew wider. She soon turned away from Ratchet, walking off towards the med-bay doors as he smiled to himself. Though she did not verbally say it, it was easily deducible from her comments and actions. Storm was worried for his well-being. She cared for him just as he did her.

...

Storm proceeded onward towards the Autobot hangar now that she knew Ratchet was alive, well, and not missing any limbs or vital parts. As she turned the corner into the hangar, Storm ran into Lennox. Literally. The NEST Major fell backwards, grunting out in pain as Storm looked at him with wide eyes from where she was still standing. She hadn't even budged.

Storm offered the NEST Major a hand for help off the ground as she apologized to him, the man hissing out in pain as he stood before speaking to her. "Damn, Stormy. You're solid as a brick wall. That really hurt."

She rubbed at the back of her neck nervously in response to his comments. "I eat my wheaties every morning for breakfast. I'm very sorry Lennox but I wasn't expecting to find you here."

The man dusted himself off briefly, laughing to Storm before responding to her comments. "Well, no. Other than the painful run in though, I'm actually glad I met you here. I was on my way to come get you because the government dispatched a group to come collect the shard a few hours ago. They should be here soon."

Storm grumbled out in annoyance upon hearing this, proceeding to rub at her forehead with an armored hand in the same emotion. "Oh...yeah. I forgot that was happening today."

Lennox shook his head at the woman in disbelief. Her forgetfulness was on a whole other level. "Well, it's a good thing you told me to come get you when they'd be arriving. Although I didn't really need to seeing as how you're already awake."

Storm smiled to Lennox, responding to him with her thanks. "Thank you anyways, Lennox. I appreciate it."

Lennox returned the woman's smile, silent for several moments before speaking up to her with a question. "You know, since you're here, would you like to help out with moving some boxes and equipment?"

Storm contemplated the idea before shrugging her shoulders to the NEST Major with non-chalance. It's not like she had anything better to do currently. "Sure. What do you need help with?"

Lennox gestured to Storm with hand, a motion that silently asked of her to follow him. She obliged, crossing her arms over her chest as she followed behind the man slowly. He led her over to the adjacent hangar on their left. Once the pair walked inside, Storm stared over at the supposed boxes and equipment that were seperated and strapped down to three large sets of wooden pallets which Lennox had wished for help in moving, a myriad of humans standing around the mass with dumb-founded looks. They had accepted a challange which they could never hope to complete alone.

It was a lot more than she had originally been expecting. More than she alone could transfer without massive assistance. Storm looked over at Lennox, narrowing her eyes at him in a playful manner as she spoke. "Let me guess, you needed my help because the stuff is too heavy and because the Autobots can't help due to them being busy or on patrol?"

This time, Lennox was the one to rub at the back of his neck in nervousness. Storm was perceptive and she had caught him in his plan. "I was hoping that you and The Warden could help us out because there is no way we are going to be able to move all this stuff."

Storm diverted her gaze to the mass of stuff before sighing heavily. She contacted her second-in-command via her Ancilla and he responded to her summons, a slip-space portal opening at her left side as she spoke to Lennox. "Well, you're not wrong in that aspect. We are definitely going to need The Warden's help."

The slip-space portal soon revealed The Warden, the Promethean titan stepping out of it with a regal aura. Storm looked over to Lennox, speaking up to him in a simple question. "Where do you want all of this stuff?"

The NEST Major scratched at his head in confusion whilst answering her question. "Uh, right outside hangar C-6 would be great. That way we can just remove the straps and take everything directly into the rec-room."

Storm nodded to Lennox in affirmation as did The Warden. The Promethean titan followed after his leader, the humans backing away as the pair made their approach. Storm grabbed onto the set of pallets that were strapped together which contained the boxes of supplies, gripping onto one of the straps with both of her hands as The Warden followed her example, grabbing onto the two remaining sets of pallets by their straps, one held tightly within each hand.

Storm willed her protective mask over her face as she looked over her shoulder to speak to Lennox. "I'm going to need everyone to move."

The NEST Major began to hurriedly usher everyone away from the vicinity upon Storm's request. Once the area was clear of humans, both Storm and The Warden willed open a slip-space portal. The portal sowly pulled the pair along with the supplies that they were holding onto tightly as the soldiers watched on with amazement. The portal devoured the supplies and along with it, both the Promethean titan and his leader.

The other end of the slip-space portal's opened directly outside of hangar C-6 . Exactly where Lennox had asked that they bring the supplies. Storm sat down on top of one of the boxes and The Warden came to stand at her side. She waited patiently for Lennox and his soldiers to arrive, jumping down from her seated position once they did.

Lennox proceeded to examine the items, seemingly genuinely surprised. This became evident to Storm once he spoke. "Wow. You guy's got all of it here un-damaged. Impressive."

Storm willed back her protective mask, crossing her arms over her chest with pride, her expression taking on this same emotion. "Obviously. Me and The Warden are pro's at teleportation. Plus, you know, a slip-space portal was probably the easiest and least time consuming way to get it all here."

The NEST Major nodded to her in agreement. "I guess you're right about that. You guy's and your advanced abilities really do come in handy sometimes."

Storm propped herself up against the outside of The Warden's right leg, fanning herself with an armored hand in an egotistical yet joking manner which caused Lennox to bark out a laugh. She watched as Lennox turned around, brushing off her actions in favor of helping the soldiers un-load the equipment she and The Warden had helped transport. That was when she spotted something that caused her to double-take.

She narrowed her eyes, pointing over to the supplies with a clawed index finger as she spoke to Lennox whom was still within earshot. "Uh, Lennox? Is that and arcade machine?"

The NEST Major looked over to Storm with confusion upon hearing her question before looking to where she was pointing and answering her question. "Yeah. It is."

As she eyed down the arcade machine, Storm smirked. "Well, looks like I'll have a reason to visit the rec-room more often. I love video games of any kind. One of the better human inventions over the years in my opinion."

Upon hearing the woman's comments, Lennox belted out in laughter as he proceeded to pick up a box. He had seen it all now. An alien who had an obsession with video games. Lennox was sure he would never hear anything so hilarious again for as long as he lived.

As soon as Lennox placed his hands underneath the box before him, the roaring of an approaching plane caused he along with Storm and The Warden to turn their gaze toward the sky.

Storm grimaced from the light of the sun hitting her eyes as she took in the sight, assuming that it must be the government group which had been sent out to collect the shard. "Aren't they kind of early?"

Lennox agreed with her question as he walked over to Storm's side. With the humans now arrived, there was only one thing left to do. To find Optimus. Storm turned to face The Warden, holding her arms out to him in a universal gesture which he understood immediately. He obliged his leader, picking her up in one hand and holding her close to his chest.

The Promethean titan followed after Lennox in the man's search for the Autobot leader, finding him the Autobot training hangar with the Cybertronian second-in-command, Jazz. The NEST Major walked up to Optimus, tapping him on his leg in order to get his attention. Once he had it, he began explaining to him that the government group was here for the shard.

Optimus nodded to Lennox in understanding before apologizing to Jazz for the interruption though the silver mech didn't seem to mind. Once the Autobot leader spotted Storm, his demeanor changed. She smiled to him, waving up at him from her current position within The Warden's protective hold. He returned the Forerunner in her smile, the corners of his mouth plating curling up at her as he followed after Lennox with Storm and The Warden following alongside him.

The NEST Major led them out onto the tarmac where the plane carrying the humans sent by the government resided, handing over to them a stack of paperwork that was presumably on the shard. Storm took immediate notice of what the humans were wearing. They were all clad in protective suits, no doubt to shield them from the radiation that the shard emitted.

The human that was now holding the paperwork offered up to him by Lennox looked up to Optimus, speaking up to him with a question in a monotone fashion. He wished to know where the shard was.

Optimus wasted no time, opening up the protective covering from over his spark before retrieving the shard from within his spark chamber. Though Storm couldn't see Optimus' spark from where she was currently held within The Warden's arms, she could feel it. The sensation was weighing down on her heavily like a blanket. She felt almost un-able to breath from it's intensity and it's overbearing presence. The energy was agressive as if it was targeting her, reaching out for her. It was a magnetic pull of epic proportions.

When Optimus finally closed his protective plating back over his spark, Storm sucked in a sharp breath, completely un-aware that she had been holding her breath until now. Both The Warden and Optimus had heard this and they were now both gazing down at her in concern. She ignored these looks, refusing to meet their gaze whilst attempting to ignore the situation as if it hadn't happened.

Optimus' attention was drawn back to the group of humans before him as they spoke, informing the Autobot leader that with the shard now in their possession, the human leader's would be contacting him once it was secured in it's new containment facility.

Lennox sighed out in relief once they were back inside of the Autobot training hangar, the group of four watching as the plane carrying the government sent group took off back down the runway, ascending into the sky before slowly disappearing of into the distance.

Soon after, Lennox proceeded to say his good-bye's, but not before asking Storm if she would relenquish The Warden to him for help in sorting out the supplies. Understandably, she looked to him with confusion. Why was he asking for her permission for The Warden to help him? It was his choice, not her's. She didn't control the Promethean titan no more than she controlled the weather.

Storm looked up to The Warden, silently waiting for him to make his decision. The Promethean titan agreed to Lennox in his request for help. Upon his agreement, Storm turned in his grasp, holding out her arms to Optimus in the same universal gesture she had given The Warden not too long ago.

The Autobot leader chuckled, grabbing Storm from the arms of her willing second-in-command just as she had silently asked of him. Storm waved good-bye to Lennox and The Warden, both of them returning her action though the Promethean titan looked significantly more awkward in doing so. He simply hadn't become familiar with human gestures, even despite all of the time he had collectively spent with her in their time assisting the UNSC.

Storm chuckled to herself as she turned in Optimus' protective hold to face him, cerulean optics meeting green iris and black sclera as she spoke. "Well, that wen't well enough, I suppose."

Optimus brought the hand holding Storm close to his face as he responded to her statements. "Indeed."

The Forerunner smirked up at Optimus as she relaxed into his large hand, exposing her elongated canines to him before speaking up to him in a question. "So, did you hear about Ratchet's new invention?"

Optimus looked down at Storm with interest, shaking his head from side to side at her as he responded. "No. I have not, I'm afraid."

Storm shrugged her shoulders to him, the smirk never leaving her face as she once again spoke. "It's pretty cool. He calls it "the holoform". He almost scared the crap out of me when I saw him in the med-bay, though. I literally tried to run off and find you before he stopped me. I thought he had broken himself."

Optimus chuckle to Storm over her description of the events she'd experienced earlier in the day as the Forerunner continued to speak. "However, he did say that the holoform device is very close to completion. So, you know what that means."

Optimus' mouth plating once again curled up into a simulated smile as he responded to the excited female. "And what might that be?"

A mischeivous smirk plastered itself on Storm's face upon hearing the Autobot leader's question. "More ways for Sideswipe and I to prank Ratchet."

He laughed at Storm due to her comments, finding irony in the situation. Out of all things they could be, the first thoughts the female had for the holoform device were of using it against it's inventor. "I believe you have been spending far too much time with Sideswipe, Tempest."

Storm simply shrugged her shoulders in response to this, the evil grin never leaving her face. "I know. He's corrupted me in all the best ways."

Optimus shook his head in response to Storm's comments. She was feisty for a femme, but she livened up the base for both humans and Cybertronians alike. He was sure that without the small Forerunner being on NEST base it would be far more quiet and un-interesting. Especially for him. He had grown accustomed to the woman and her constant presence. The Autobot leader simply couldn't imagine his existence without her after being around her for so long and now, knowing what Ratchet suspected, he doubted his spark could either.

The Autobot leader was shaken from his thoughts by Storm's small voice speaking up to him in a un-expected question. "Optimus? I have a question. Ratchet said that he's creating the holoform device to be an accurate representation of all of you as a human. So do you think when Ironhide gets his holoform he'll just be a walking ass with legs? He's a pain in the aft all the time so it'd make total sense."

Optimus stared down at Storm in a mixture of shock and confusion over her question before bursting out in laughter, this action causing Storm to smile. It was the first time she had ever heard him genuinely laugh as he was now. She held an armored hand over her now warmed heart as she gazed up at him, listening to him intently. She enjoyed hearing him laugh.

* * *

 **I really did enjoy writing this chapter. I got stumped a little but along the way due to writers block but I got it finished, thankfully.**

 **Now, I'm going to go play some video games while I wait for the Amnesia Collection to release on Xbox. It's supposed to release tomorrow but I'm hoping that It'll be added to the store at midnight seeing as how It'll technically be the 31st.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Before we get into this chapter, I woud like to apologize for my long, sudden absence. I unfortunately got very sick (twice) with two seperate illnesses in my time gone. Neither of them left me with much energy to do anything aside from lay around whilst playing video games and trying to recupperate.**

 **As of right now, I really can't say when my next upload will be due to the threat of an impending category 4 hurricane, but I promise that I will upload again as soon as possible for me.**

* * *

Storm woke that morning in a surprisingly cheerful mood, something unexpected given her experiences last night. She had known it coming for the longest time, but it had still yet caught her off guard to be the receiver of one of Sideswipe's pranks. If she didn't care for the Autobot frontliner so much, she would have forced him through a slip-space bubble, never to be seen again.

She chuckled at this thought as she stretched her arms above her head before walking over to her dresser where hairbrush always rested. She picked it up, proceeding to brush through her long hair until it no longer got caught on any tangled strands.

Once finished, Storm looked down to the dresser at her hair tie and hair clip which she would normally use to place her hair in it's normal, compact bun. She debated for several moments on putting her hair up as usual though opting not to do so. She wished to abandon her repetitive routine. At least just for today.

Storm set her hairbrush back down into it's former place before pulling back the hood of her personal armor, parting her hair at the nape of her neck before pulling it around to drape down her shoulders and around each side of her neck.

She placed the hood of her armor back over her head before walking over to the door of her quarters. She exited from her designated space, shutting the door to her quarters before setting off.

She crossed her arms over her chest as she walked towards the Autobot hangar in search of Optimus. There were ony a few days left until she would be leaving to see Sam off to college and she was hopeful that the Autobot leader would be allowed to go along with her. Director Galloway had put a fight when it came to Storm asking to be let off base but the human leader's had over-ruled any issues the liaison had with the subject. They knew that The Warden would be present to act on her behalf and if the humans needed her input, the Promethean titan had many bodies at his disposal to contact her with.

Storm turned the corner into the Autobot hangar and was stopped in her tracks. What she saw before her had her blood boiling within her veins. An unknown human in a black t-shirt and baggy lower coverings was holding Lennox's arm behind his back roughly.

Storm ran toward the man with haste, grabbing him by the neck with her armored left hand before throwing him roughly into the ground. Her clawed fingertips dug into the man's skin as she took a stance over-top of him, baring her elongated upper and lower canines to visibly shocked human as she clicked in the back of her throat furiously, anger lacing her voice heavily as she hissed out a sentence to the man. "Bad move, human."

The human did not respond to her. She kept her hand secured tightly around the unknown man's neck as she took in his features. He possessed vibrant blue eyes and a slightly squared jawline. His hair was cut in un-even locks that rested slightly lower than his ears.

As Storm focused on his hair that framed his face, she became confused. From afar, his hair had appeared black. Upon closer insepection, it was a dark blue. This was something that was not normal for humans.

Lennox approached Storm with haste due to the situation building before him, attempting to pull the Forerunner female off of the male beneath her as he spoke but to no avail. She was simply too strong for him. "Stormy, calm down! He's friendly!"

Storm refused to take her eyes of the man beneath her as she responded to Lennox for fear that the unknown human would attempt to retaliate against her if she did. " _Friendly_ doesn't entail having your arm forced behind your back when you are visibly in pain, Lennox."

Lennox began to pace back and forth behind Storm. He didn't know what to do to remedy this situation. The NEST Major slowly proceeded to run his hands down his face in stress due to the non-compliant Forerunner, eventually throwing his hands out to his sides with worry lacing his voice. "It does when I asked him to. For God's sake, Stormy, he's an Autobot!"

Storm finally broke her gaze from the man held within her powerful grasp in order to look back at Lennox with an eyebrow raised in confusion. She shifted her gaze back to the apparent holoform beneath her as she removed her armored hand from around his neck though she did not remove herself from over-top of him, rolling her eyes and sighing heavily as recognition of her mistake rushed through her. There was a good possibilty that Optimus would be angry at her for this later. "Great. So, which Autobot are you?"

The holoform beneath her sighed in relief, a suprising human reaction as he stared up into her eyes with a familiar emotion that Storm couldn't place. "It is I, Optimus Prime."

Storm visibly flinched as the holoform beneath her spoke those words. She stared down at him in a mixture of shock and confusion before letting out a squeak of embarrassment due to the dawning realization. She had been on-top of Optimus and had practically assualted the Autobot leader.

Storm jumped back from Optimus with haste as if he were a fire and she had just been burned, her eyes wide and her face flushed with heat as she began to speak frantically. "Oh my God! Optimus, I-I'm so sorry! I didn't know! I didn't mean to! I just-I saw Lennox in trouble and I-"

Optimus cut Storm off, both her and Lennox chuckling at the Forerunner female due to her flustered speaking. "It is perfectly alright, Tempest. I would have done the same in your situation. You simply did not know."

Storm's mouth began to open and close, reminiscent of that of a fish as she floundered over her words. "I am so sorry. It's just-I mean, I didn't know that Ratchet had finished the holoform device. He didn't even tell me, that old-aft! I swear I am going to offline him!"

Optimus once again chuckled at Storm though this time due to her Cybertronian insult towards the Autobot medic. "Ratchet desired for it to be a surprise."

Storm narrowed her eyes at Optimus, crossing her arms over her chest in irritation. "Yeah, a surprise that almost got you killed and that's not acceptable on my part. I could have seriousy hurt you, Optimus!"

Optimus shook his head at Storm fondly in disbelief as he laughed. Apparently Ratchet had not told her when he began working on the device several Earth days ago that the holoform being damaged would not harm nor "kill" it's owner. "While it may have physically hurt me, damage to a holoform will not permanently damage it's owner."

Storm let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this, holding her right hand over the armored area above her heart. "Thank the Domain. If I had permanently hurt you I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I guess I should have listened to Lennox."

Lennox scoffed at Storm, a laugh following soon after. "There's been a lot of times you should have listened to me and didn't. Let this be a learning experience."

Storm huffed at Lennox's jokingly snide comments, shrugging her shoulders to him with non-chalance. "What can I say, I'm hard-headed and as stubborn as an Ox."

Lennox belted out in laughter upon Storm referrencing herself to an Earth mammal. "You're tough like one, too. Felt like I ran into a brick wall when you walked into the Autobot hangar a few weeks ago."

Storm jokingly slapped Lennox on his back due to his comments, pretending to take offense to them and Lennox gasped in faked pain as he doubled over with dramatic flair. "Ow, Stormy! I'll have you know that's considered abuse!"

Storm scoffed, rolling her eyes as she laughed at the man. "Yeah, animal abuse."

Optimus laughed at the pair and their bickering as he watched Storm. He had waited so long for this moment, ever since he had questioned Ratchet about the holoform device. To be able to see Storm like this, at her level as she normally was with few physical differences. It filled him with emotion. Optimus could truthfully say that she was even more beautiful now that he could match the vertical distance to her. For him, it was like seeing her for the first time and he realized that until now, he had never _truly_ seen her. It made his spark ache with a previously un-familiar urgency. Urgency for claim of the Forerunner.

In that moment, Optimus was broken from his thoughts by Storm's voice asking Lennox an expected question. "So, why exactly were you letting Optimus pin your arm behind your back when I walked in?"

Lennox rubbed at the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Optimus said that the holoform's were strong. I asked him to show me and that's when you walked in."

Storm narrowed her eyes at Lennox. "You know, you should have just led with that when I walked in. It would have saved the three of us a lot of trouble. Especially Optimus."

Lennox shrugged to Storm in indifference as he responded to her. "Well, I was a little more occupied at the time with the fact that you rushed Optimus out of nowhere and practically assualted him."

Storm flushed with heat as she proceeded to copy Lennox's previous actions, rubbing at the back of her neck from underneath the hood of her personal armor. She was still very much embarrassed over the situation, more so for how she had been on-top of Optimus. It was an awkward predicament to have happened and Lennox had seen it all, making Storm's situation all the worse for her.

Before she could faint from overwhelming embarrassment, Storm was snapped from her thoughts by the sounds of static emerging from Lennox's radio that was attached to his hip, a voice coming through soon after stating that he was being requested by Director Galloway.

Storm sneered hearing mention of the man. She highy disliked the human liaison though she had no choice but to put up with his over-bearing ways and personality.

Lennox rolled his eyes in displeasure before saying his good-bye's to both she and Optimus. After this, the NEST Major proceeded towards the open entrance of the Autobot hangar and exiting from it, leaving Storm and Optimus to their own company.

Once she could no longer see Lennox, Storm looked over to Optimus, meeting his already waiting gaze. It was strange for her to see Optimus having human-esque eyes. Not the bright blue optics that had become so familiar to her.

The pair were silent for several moments, staring at each other without a word being spoke until Storm broke this silence, speaking up to Optimus with a question. "So, what's it like having a holoform?"

Optimus answered Storm's question truthfully, explaining to her that it was a new and difficult thing for him to become accustomed to. He procceeded to explain to her that the hardest thing for him to currently acclimate to was the excessive height difference and Storm understood. All the Autobot leader had known up until this point was his true body that stood at close to thirty-two feet in height. It would understandably be disorienting for him now that he was the average human male height of six-foot-one.

Storm spoke up once again in a question, her voice laced with curiousity. "So, what all can the holoform do? I'd assume it can't consume human foods, but what about liquids?"

Optimus answered Storm's question with pride, admiring how smart and perceptive she was. "You would be correct in your assesment. The holoform is not capable of consuming solid substance but it can consume liquids such as water."

In response to Optimus saying this, Storm gave the Autobot leader a mishievous grin, exposing her elongated canines to him. "Does Sideswipe have his yet?"

Optimus barked out a laugh to the Forerunner female, knowing well the reasoning behind her question. She was desperate to use the Autobot medic's invention against him. "I believe Ratchet is installing the device for Sideswipe as we speak."

Storm rubbed her armored hands together devilishly. "I can't wait. I'm going to turn Ratchet into something much worse than an inside-out pillow this time."

Optimus belted out in un-restrained laughter in response to Storm's comments and she followed suit, laughing with him to the point of tears. That was when an idea hit her. She carefully wiped her tears of laughter from her eyes with the backs of her clawed fingers before walking over to stand directly in front of Optimus, drawing his attention as she stared up at him whilst speaking. "You want to break in your new holoform with me?"

Optmius stared down at the female just inches away from him in confusion, tiliting his head to the side ever so slightly as he questioned her. "Would you care to elaborate, Tempest?"

Storm's grin grew wider in response to Optimus' question. "Well, since Sideswipe is busy, I want you to help me prank Ironhide in his place."

Optimus wasn't sure how to respond to Storm. It wasn't in the Autobot leader's nature to partake in the pranks that Sideswipe and Storm seemed to enjoy so much.

Storm could easily see Optimus' hesitation and she was having none of it. She grabbed the Autobot leader by his hand, dragging him behind her to find Ironhide as she spoke to him. "Don't worry, Optimus. We won't do anything serious to him. I promise. We're just going to make his life miserable for a few minutes."

Despite his inability to see her face, Optimus could hear the smirk of mischeif in Storm's voice. The Autobot leader looked down to where his human in appearence hand was clasped in Storm's armored one firmly yet gently. The simple contact of their hands gave Optimus' holoform an unusal feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was a foreign feeling, but one that he strangely enjoyed.

Optimus smiled to himself fondly as he returned his gaze to the back of Storm's hooded head. He could get used to this very quickly.

...

Storm led Optimus through the base by his hand, earning both her and the Autobot leader strange looks from the soldiers on base as they passed by. However, Storm ignored every single one of them, continuing on in her quest towards the Autobot hangar where she knew Ironhide normally resided.

Once they reached their destination, Storm stopped in place, peaking around the corner of the entrance to the Autobot training hangar. Storm had been correct. Ironhide was here and he was completely un-aware of their presence.

She turned around to face Optimus, sporting an evil grin on her face as she spoke to him in hushed whispers. "Are you ready for this, Prime?"

Optimus wasn't yet sure if he was ready to prank one of his soldiers and friends. However, Storm didn't give him the chance to object. He watched as she phased in a cylindrical, disk-shaped object into her hand with a flurry of orange particles.

He looked to her with curiousity. The orange particles of something Storm materialized normally indicated a weapon of some kind though this did not appear to be one. "What is that, Tempest?"

Storm was elated that the Autobot leader had asked, answering him with a prideful yet joking tone. "It's a neat little device that I may have confinscated a few of from the UNSC when I spent time helping them solve their issues with the Covenant. I didn't think they'd miss them very much. Plus, I needed compensation for my services."

Optimus was highly intrigued as to what the small, disk-shaped device was capable of and he knew that Ratchet would be too. "What does it do?"

Storm smirked to the Autobot leader. "Patience, Optimus. You're about to find out."

Storm held up her free hand to her face as she phased on her protective mask, using her index finger to make a hushing gesture before activating the camouflage device of her suit and making herself invisible.

Optimus stared on in shock, having no idea until now that Storm was capable of making herself invisible. He turned in his place a few times, looking around for Storm in the hopes that he might catch a glimpse of her but to no avail. He moved to peak around the corner of the Autobot training hangar, watching Ironhide intently.

Soon after, he saw the all too familar disk-shaped device come un-cloaked due to Storm throwing it at Ironhide. It hit the Autobot weapon's specialist directly in the center of his chest, adhering itself there as Ironhide was surrounded by a yellow, wavering light.

Ironhide collapsed to the ground roughy, un-able to move anything aside from his optics.

Storm walked up beside Ironhide where he had fallen, un-cloaking herself at his side as she spoke to the black mech tauntingly. "So sorry, Ironhide. But I need you to be compliant for just a little bit."

Ironhide began to sling Cybertronian curses at Storm and Optimus walked up to her side, admiring what she had done though he knew he shouldn't be. It was indeed a nifty little device she had used on Ironhide and Optimus hoped that once this was over, Storm would let Ratchet have one to reverse engineer for potential use against the Decepticons.

Optimus turned to look at Storm, asking her a question. "What did this device do, exactly? I am curious."

Storm crossed her arms over her chest in triumph as she returned Optimus' gaze. "It was invented by the UNSC to be used in the event of rogue Spartan's. It's essentially an armor lock that shorts out their armored suit, preventing the Spartan from moving."

Optimus took in this information, pondering the possibilities and potential for using such a device against the Decepticons as he did so. "That is very useful."

Storm layed a hand on the shoulder of Optimus' holoform, ignoring all of Ironhide's yelling and the subsequent attention it was attracting from Autobots and human soldiers alike as she responded to him. "It is. But it's meant to be used on a Spartan whom are normally only around seven feet tall, not a twenty-two foot tall Cybertronian. He's eventually going to short out my device and I really don't want to be here when he does. So, if you would, please be a dear and go grab me some paint from the storage closest to our right."

Optimus laughed at Storm though did as he was asked. He walked over to the designated storage closest and inside, grabbing the only cans of paint he could find along with some brushes before making his way back over to Storm. He set the paint down next to the Forerunner female and watched as she inspected the paint, disappointment lacing her voice as she spoke. "You only got me blue and yellow? Oh well, I guess. It's just going to have to work. We don't have enough time to go and get more colors."

Optimus said nothing in response, opting to stay silent as he watched the woman pick up the cans of paint he had provided her with before scaling Ironhide's motionless form and sitting down in the crook of his neck, setting the cans down within arm's reach. She removed the lids from both cans with a clawed fingertip, proceeding to dip a paintbrush into the yellow paint.

Storm snickered to herself as she began to draw a handlebar moustache on Ironhide's upper-lip plating. Though Optimus could not bring himself to participate, he thoroughly enjoyed watching Storm carry out her prank.

Once she had finshed painting Ironhide's new moustache, she grabbed another brush, dipping it into the blue paint before proceeding to paint the words "dumb-aft" on his forehead plating as he screamed to Optimus for help though he received none.

Optimus simply chuckled as Storm continued, the female smirking down at Ironhide as she spoke to him. "Sorry, Iron-aft. The boss-bot is on my side. You could always help me pay him back later after you've re-painted yourself, though."

Ironhide continued to try and fight against the device she had placed on him even after Storm was finished. She admired her handy work before laughing and stepping down from the black mech, leaving the paint cans where they sat.

She jogged over to Optimus, taking him by the hand as she shouted and broke out into a run, leading Optimus behind her. "Time to go, Prime!"

Storm ran out of the training hangar, laughing loudly the whole way back to the Autobot hangar. Once inside, she doubled over with more laughter.

Optimus watched on with amusement until Storm was finally finished with her laughing fit and began taking in deep breaths to replace her lack of oxygen. She willed back her protective mask, wiping away her tears carefully with a clawed finger before speaking to Optimus. "That was the best! Ironhide is going to have so much fun repainting his face!"

Optimus simply chuckled in response as he watched Storm look up to the sky before continuing to speak. "Wow. Time realy does fly when you're having fun. The sun is already setting."

Optimus turned his gaze towards the sky. Storm was correct. The sky over NEST was ablaze with multiple shades of red and orange.

Storm removed her gaze from the Earthen sky, looking to Optimus as she spoke up to him with a question. "Hey, Optimus? Would you like to go watch the sunset on the beach? If we're there, Ironhide won't find us. I estimate the armor lock device will short out in roughly four minutes, give or take."

Optimus nodded to Storm. "Of course, Tempest."

The Autobot leader dis-engaged his holoform with a flurry of blue particles. Storm stared on in awe as this happened, only averting her eyes once she heard the sounds of shifting metal coming from behind her. She had not realised until now that the Autobot leader's alt-mode resided in the back of the hangar.

Optimus approached Storm, kneeling down before her and holding out his palm for her. She climbed on gladly and Optimus stood up, proceeding to carry her out towards the beach side.

Once there, Optimus sat down carefully onto the still warm sand. He held Storm close to his spark as he watched the sun set with her, the sky soon shrouding them in comfortable darkness before he layed back against the soft terrain of the beach.

He placed his free hand behind his head allowing him to comfortably watch the stars with the woman held protectively within his grasp. He glanced down to the female, reminiscing over the day's events as he watched Storm's eyes slowly shut on her as she drifted off to sleep.

Optimus smiled down at her fondly before returning his gaze to the heavens above, his optics eventually shutting off on him as he was lulled to sleep on the beach side by the peaceful sound of crashing waves and the silent comfort of Storm's presence.

* * *

 **I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I finished it rather quickly.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: I don't own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Good news, the hurricane didn't get me!**

 **As you can all guess though, I was absent due to this Storm. However, I'm back and I'm ready to write some more. I hope you all aren't annoyed with me too much for being gone so long but I didn't have much choice in the matter, unfortunately.**

 **Despite this, I am getting super excited because after this chapter we will finally begin on the events of Revenge of The Fallen. I hope those of you who consistently read my story have enjoyed it so far and I would like to apologize for any typos or mistakes in my story. This is my first attempt at writing a story for FanFicition and this is a learning process for me.**

 **While I was away though I received a review telling me that in Halo, 343 Guilty Spark had stated that the minimum level of Forerunner armor required to face the flood was twelve with the Forerunner armor scale stated to potentially be as high as eighteen or further. I know this and have already stated this though the Halo universe doesn't delve too much into this topic (at least from what I've seen and read), hence as to why I decided to cap Tempest's armor out at twelve because it is the highest confirmed to my knowledge.**

 **Also, it's been awhile since I played the older Halo's and due to my Xbox's disk drive crapping out, I can't go back to play the older Halo games to refresh my memory of anything until I get my new Xbox this weekend.**

 **As you all know, These "..." sections indicate a time skip or POV change. In this case, it's a time skip.**

* * *

Storm walked slowly across NEST, taking note of the soldiers whom were seemingly more active and talkative than usual. Judging by their body language, there seemed to be a copius amount of tension and excitement that the humans shared in common.

She turned away in her persistent gaze as she crossed her arms over her chest. She did not want to scare the humans with her staring and suspicion as to what currently had the base so lively.

As she rounded a corner and walked into a hangar, Storm spotted Lennox. He was just the person she was hoping to see as she had questions about the new-found energy that filled the base. She approached the distracted male, sitting down onto the edge of the table he was currently leaned over that was littered with a myriad of items as she took notice of the duffle bag before him, said bag almost full. He held a blank stare on his face that was directed towards the bag, indicating to her that despite her obvious presence, he had somehow failed to notice her.

She began kicking her legs back and forth lazily off the edge of the table, speaking up to the visibly distracted male. "Hey, Lennox. What's going on?"

Lennox sucked in a sharp breath, obviously startled by the sudden sound of Storm speaking. He turned to face her, hand held over his heart in shock. "Jesus, Stormy! You have got to stop sneaking up on me like that!"

Storm chuckled to herself due to the NEST Major's reaction. "Sorry, Lennox. I don't intend to scare you, it just kind of happens like that. By the way, what's up with everyone on base? You all seem anxious."

Lennox sighed with the same anxiousness that currently permeated NEST, turning back towards his bag that he was now hapazardly stuffing more items into as he answered Storm's question. "It's a floating holiday. Most of the soldiers on base are using it to go home and see their families for the first time in two years."

Storm rolled her eyes to the NEST Major jokingly. "You humans and your strange idioms. I don't think I'll ever get used to them."

Lennox barked out a quick laugh at Storm due to her comments. "I don't blame you. We do have some strange sayings."

Storm hummed in response to what Lennox had said, watching as the man continued to force items into his travel bag with a new realization. "What about you? Are you going home to see your family, Will?"

Lennox paused in his actions, staring down at the table and bag before him as a fond smile placed itself on his face which Storm did not miss. "Yeah. I am. I'm going home to see my wife and my daughter for the third time since her birth."

Storm mimicked Lennox's smile, feeling a pang of jealousy course through her. She envied him in this moment. "I'm happy for you, Will. I bet you can't wait to go home and see them."

Lennox didn't miss the change of inflection in Storm's voice despite her attempts to hide it behind a smile. It made him feel guilty. He had spoken of his family so happily, failing to remember that Storm could not share in this happiness. She had no family to return to, none that was not Exuberant Witness or Sam and his family. And Sam was unfortunately too busy packing for college for Storm to visit him now.

No matter how much the Forerunner tried to hide it, Lennox could see the sadness etched into her features. It made him wish he could do something for Storm to save her from staying back at NEST alone.

Lennox visibly perked up at this thought. A happy smile formed on the NEST Major's face, one that was directed at Storm as he spoke up to her with a question. "Would you like to come with me, Stormy? My wife is very accomodating and I already know that my daughter would absolutely love you because of your long hair."

Storm was surprised by Lennox's offer. With her newly made agreement with the human leader's it would be plausible for her to leave, though she was slightly concerned with the idea. "I would love to go but...I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the slightest bit un-sure. It'll be kind of awkward being the only alien in the group."

Lennox spoke up to Storm, attempting to reassure her in her worries. "You won't be the only alien in the group, though. I'm bringing Ironhide with me and if you wanted to I'm sure you could convince Optimus to go if it'd make you feel better. Lord only knows that boss-bot could use some serious rest and relaxation away from Galloway and his never-ending crap."

Storm belted out in laughter, responding to Lennox with amusement once she had stopped. "Yeah, I know you're right about that. I think that man has been getting on everyone's nerves over the past few days."

Lennox laughed before agreeing with Storm. She proceeded to stand up from the corner of table she was seated on, laying an armored hand on the NEST Major's right shoulder as she spoke. "Thank you for your offer, Lennox. It really means a lot to me that you invited me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go threaten Optimus with bodily harm if he doesn't comply with coming along."

After saying this, Storm removed her hand from Lennox's shoulder, turning around and walking off towards the exit of the hangar. She had almost made it towards the entrance when she heard Lennox yell out to her. "Our plane leaves in less than an hour! Make sure you're out at the landing strip by then!"

Storm threw a hand back over her shoulder in a wave of acknowledgement as she rounded the corner of the hangar quickly to go find Optimus. She activated the gravitational manipulator of her suit, using it to in the effort to make finding the Autobot leader faster, stopping once she found him. Much to her surprise, he was standing outside of the Autobot training hangar with Jazz.

Storm thought to herself in that moment of how perfect it was that Optimus' second-in-command was already here so that she could try and convince the short mech to give the Autobot leader some time off by taking over in his stead for a day.

She floated over to the pair, immediately catching the optic of Optimus as a smile plastered itself on her un-masked face. "Hey guys. Sorry to interrupt, but I have a quick question for Jazz."

Jazz turned his attention away from his leader, the metal plating of his mouth forming a smile that was aimed towards Storm. "What's up, little lady?"

Storm's grin grew wider upon hearing the Autobot saboteur's response. "I was hoping you would do me a favor, actually. I was wondering if you wouldn't take over for Optimus today as Lennox has just invited Optimus and I to visit his family home."

Optimus began to hold up his hands, attempting to turn Storm down in his offer before Jazz cut him off. He wouldn't allow his leader to say no to this offer. "Sure, little lady. The Prime could use a break anyways. It's been two Earth years. He could use a day off."

Optimus' expression changed to a disgruntled one causing Storm to sigh. "Oh, come on, Optimus. Jazz is right, you know. It's been _two years_. Why can't you just give yourself the rest we know you so desperately need?"

Optimus expelled air through his vents heavily, crossing his arms over his chest as he answered her. "My people need me, Tempest."

Storm rolled her eyes, scoffing in response to the Autobot leader. "My people need me too, Optimus. But I know that The Warden is more than capable to lead in my place. Do you not trust Jazz to do the same?"

Jazz snickered to himself upon hearing what Storm had said, knowing that she had caught the Autobot leader given his silence. She had the Prime wrapped around her armored fingers.

Optimus knew well that Jazz could lead in his place. He wouldn't have brought the scenario of him accompanying Storm off base to Director Galloway if he hadn't thought so.

The Autobot leader was simply procrastinating and Storm knew this. She floated up to Optimus, laying an armored hand gently on his cheek plating as she spoke to him. "Trust me, Prime. You need this and I want you to go with me."

Optimus stared into Storm's two-toned eyes, his spark lurching in his chest due to what she said. It was enough to convince the Autobot leader. "Alright. I will go with you, Tempest."

He didn't miss how Storm's eyes lit up, a large grin plastered on her face as he turned to speak to Jazz. "I trust in your ability to lead the Autobots in my place, Jazz."

The Autobot saboteur said nothing in response, only nodding to his leader in affirmation before Storm wrapped the Autobot leader's much larger face in a tight embrace, speaking up to him with a joking inflection. "Awesome! Now I don't have to knock you out and drag you onto the plane with me!"

Optimus chuckled at the woman's comment as Jazz belted out in laughter, the Autobot saboteur soon speaking up to Storm with another question. "Why would you do something like that?"

Storm pulled back from her embrace of the Prime, her armored hands never leaving Optimus' facial plating as she narrowed her eyes to the silver mech, a joking yet deadly expression on her face. "Because I told Lennox that if Optimus didn't agree to come along then I would threaten him with bodily harm...I planned to make good on my promise."

Jazz shook his head in disbelief. "You're too much, little lady."

Storm barked out a laugh, patting Optimus on his cheek plating whilst responding to Jazz's comments. "I know. Only the strongest can tolerate me."

After Storm saying this, Jazz waved off the woman and his leader, ordering for them to relax in their absence from NEST with his authority as second-in-command given to him by Optimus.

As he walked away, the Autobot saboteur assured his leader that the Autobots would be in good hands, Optimus knowing whole-heartedly that they would be.

The Autobot leader held out his large hand palm up for Storm to climb on and she did, landing flat-footed on it's metal surface. She looked up to Optimus, speaking up to him with a question. "So, you ready to get this show on the road? Lennox said our plane would be departing in less than an hour and I've been standing here forever trying to convice you to go with me."

Optimus smiled, nodding to Storm in affirmation. "Yes, Tempest."

A mischievous smirk plastered itself on Storm's face before she turned her head, pointing in the direction she had came from as she yelled. "Go, my valiant metal steed! Mush! Mush!"

Optimus scanned the area she had pointed to, taking note that there were no humans in his path before he did as the female had jokingly ordered. The Autobot leader set off towards the direction Storm had pointed with a fast pace earning him the excited laughter of the female which warmed his spark.

The pair made it across base with quickly due to Optimus' long strides, stopping near Lennox where he was standing beside a prepped military plane with a group of soldiers and Ironhide in his alt-mode.

Storm leaned over the edge of Optimus' palm, cupping her armored hands around both sides of her mouth before yelling down to the NEST Major. "Hey, Lennox! Look who I found!"

Lennox chuckled as Optimus kneeled down before him, answering Storm with amusement. "So, how much of a fight did he put up?"

Storm jokingly rolled her eyes, smiling down at Lennox as she responded to him. "Enough of one. It wasn't very effective though, obviously. A little pleading from me and Jazz not taking "no" for an answer was enough to break him."

Lennox snorted, directing his amusement towards Optimus. "There's no arguing with women, man. Alien or not."

Storm jokingly began mocking Lennox, only stopping once she realized she hadn't informed The Warden that she would be leaving. She willed forward her protective mask, contacting the Promethean titan via her Ancilla whilst hoping he wouldn't be too upset with her for her short notice departure. It would seem that he wasn't, jokingly telling her that he would "keep the humans in check" while she was away; causing her to snort with amusement from behind her mask. The Warden was ever the jokester, a side of him he only showed to Storm.

Storm reluctantly cut her conversation with The Warden short once Optimus spoke up to her, telling her that he was going to place her on the ground so that he could transform down to his alt-mode. She let him, stepping down from his palm before walking over to Lennox.

Ironhide and Optimus boarded the military transport first, the humans and Storm following soon after them. Storm looked around her, followimg the humans actions. She strapped herself in to one of the vacant seats within the plane via it's harness just as she had seen those around her do.

She watched as the metallic door-ramp via which she had entered began to raise, eventually shutting on her and everyone else. She braced herself as the plane proceeded to take off.

This was going to be a long few hours.

...

Storm was layed on top of Optimus' hood, her hands behind her head with one armored leg propped up on his hood, the other leg hanging down listlessly from his alt-mode as she kicked it back and forth slowly.

She let out a heavy sigh which indicated her bordem before she sat up, her armored elbows propping her up as she looked over to Lennox. "Are we there yet, Lennox? I'm beyond bored."

Lennox chuckled lightly. "You've asked me that about fifty times now, Stormy. No, we're not there yet."

Storm grpunted out in annoyance as she returned to her former laying position atop Optimus' hood. "This sucks. I've been sitting here so long my armored ass is beginning to go numb."

Lennox belted out in laughter, a few soldiers Storm was on good terms with joining in with the NEST Major before he responded to the woman's comments. "Well, you could have always teleported us to our destination, Storm. It would have saved us all time and you from your ass hurting."

Storm sighed heavily. "It doesn't work like that, Lennox. My slip-space abilities only work when it's somewhere I have the coordinates for or somewhere I've already been and the coordinates have been logged into my Ancilla's database."

Storm paused in her explanation, pointing an armored index finger towards the the metal interior above them before continuing. "Also, the only way for me to teleport everyone at one time would be to grab onto the plane and drag it through with me. Due to the significant mass of the plane, however, it wouldn't survive on the way through. Larger objects, unless made of strong material such as Forerunner or Cybertronian metal will collapse in on themselves. Not only that, but a slip-space portal is a vacuum void of oxygen. So if the plane being crushed didn't kill you, suffocation surely would."

Lennox was at a loss for words, visibly in shock. He floundered for several moments, his mouth opening and closing multiple times before responding to Storm's explanation. "I-uh...wow. That's brutal."

Storm chuckled at Lennox, eyes closed in a relaxed state as she responded to him. "I know. It's meant only for Forerunner travel as only our metal can withstand the crushing pressure."

Lennox shrugged his shoulders, scratching at his head with his index finger absent-mindedly. "Well, I guess I need to cross that off my bucket list then."

Storm barked out a laugh due to what Lennox had said, her laughter short-lived once she felt the plane around her begin to shake. She jolted up from her spot, looking around the entirety of the military transport interior with caution; stopping once her eyes landed on Lennox. "What's going on, Lennox?"

Lennox's face was filled with confusion due to Storm being on edge, raising an eyebrow to her as he looked at her. "Uh...we're landing. Have you never been on a plane before, Stormy?"

Storm scoffed, gesturing around her with her armored hands. "Of course not. Why would I need to ride in one of these metal death traps when I can essentially fly? I'm only doing it right now because I don't have much of a choice in the matter."

Lennox shrugged his shoulders to Storm before proceeding to cross his arms over his chest. Both she and Optimus' tendencies were beginning to wear off on him. "You have a point. Not much reasoning behind it. It'd just be a waste of money."

Storm leapt down from the hood of Optimus' alt-mode before walking over to Lennox. She phased away her personal armor, adopting her human appearence in succession with this.

The plane came to a slow and eventual stop on an unknown military base, the door of the military transport opening and the entirety of those within it filing out onto the tarmac in an orderly fashion. Once all of the smaller being's had exited, Optimus and Ironhide followed suit, coming to a stop just behind Lennox and Storm.

The Autobot leader opened his passenger side door for Storm and she happily ran over, practically diving into the cab of his truck before yelling out to Lennox with the same happiness she physically exuded in this moment. "Hurry up, Lennox! I'm starving!"

Optimus laughed internally as he shut the passenger door behind Storm. She watched as Lennox climbed into Ironhide's drive seat, the NEST Major laughing as he climbed in.

She leaned back against the comfortable interior of Optimus' alt-mode, groaning out in satisfaction as she did so. His leather seating was a blessing for Storm's aching back and sore backside from the hours long plane ride.

Storm heard a crackling static emerge from beside her and she lazily turned her head to meet the sound. Optimus had activated his holoform and he was looking at her with visible concern. "Are you alright, Tempest?"

Storm had no idea why the Autobot leader was asking her such a question. She was more than fine. "Uh...yeah? Why do you ask?"

Optimus began to follow out after Lennox and Ironhide, responding to Storm as he did so. "You sounded distressed. In pain."

Storm belted out in laughter. The Autobot leader had clearly mistaken her groan of satisfaction for one of pain. "No, Optimus. Quiet the opposite, actually. Your seats are very comfortable and it soothed my aching back. That's why I made that noise."

Optimus felt relieved hearing Storm say this. He turned his holoform's gaze ahead of him towards the human-made road, attempting to blend in as the driver of his alt-mode as he responded to Storm. "My apologies, Tempest."

Storm scoffed, reaching over to Optimus and jokingly slapping him on his right bicep. "Quit apologizing, Prime. You have no reason to."

Optimus laughed at the Forerunner female before she leaned back over into her side of his cab, pressing herself into his leather seating once more as she yawned. The long plane ride had succesfully tired Storm out and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

It was silent in Optimus' cab for an extended period of time before he heard and felt Storm sliding to the right in her seat, her sleeping form now leaned against the the inside of his passenger side door.

Optimus could feel her warm breath's against his window everytime she exhaled. It was an odd sensation for him to be able to feel with both his holoform and his alt-mode, slightly distracting even. However, he let Storm sleep un-disturbed, knowing that she needed the rest with how much she had been pushing herself back at NEST.

He continued on in silence, even as he drove down the winding dirt road to Lennox's residence. He slowed to a park in the NEST Major's yard, shutting off his engine before slowly leaning over to wake Storm. He placed a hand on her seemingly bare arm, remarking to himself silently over how advanced Storm's combat skin truly was. It felt as if he was truly touching her skin, soft and warm like he had anticipated.

He traced gentle circles on Storm's arm with his hand so as to not startle her awake, speaking to the fast asleep female in hushed tones. "Tempest? We have arrived at the Lennox residence."

His actions slowly woke Storm. She straightened her posture from her former slumped position, glancing around lazily to survey her surroundings. Lennox's property was large, open fields surrounding his home in a full three-hundred and sixty degrees.

Storm turned to look at Optimus, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she yawned before speaking up to Optimus with a question moments later. "How long have I been asleep?"

Optimus smiled, answering Storm's question truthfully. "Approximately thirty-five Earth minutes."

Storm nodded to the Autobot leader in understanding as she yawned once again, turning her gaze towards Optimus' windshield. She smiled to herself softly at the sight before her. Lennox was embracing who she presumed to be his wife tightly, a large smile on both of their faces.

Once the pair were finished in their embrace, Lennox turned around, gesturing over to Optimus' alt-mode with his hand in a motion for them to exit. Storm did so nervously, climbing out of Optimus' cab before wrestling with the heavy passenger door. She managed to close it behind her though with much struggle causing Lennox to laugh lowly.

Storm walked over to Lennox with Optimus in tow, his wife holding out her hand to Storm as she spoke to her with a polite inflection. "Hello. It's nice to meet you."

Storm nervously took the woman's hand, accepting her gesture of greeting as she stuttered out a response to her. "Uh...hello. It's nice to make your aquaintance as well. I've heard a lot about you from Lennox over the past few hours."

Lennox laughed. He had never before seen Storm nervous in such fashion before. "Don't mind her, Sarah. She's just a little nervous."

Storm didn't deny what Lennox had said, her face flushing slightly. She looked to the ground, hoping to avoid anyone seeing her now red face.

Sarah laughed at this, attempting to assure Storm sweetly. "You don't have to be nervous. Any friend of Will's is a friend of mine. Now, I'm sure you're all hungry from the long trip here. Dinner should be ready very soon and there's more than enough for everyone."

As if on cue, Storm's stomach grumbled loudly due to the mention of food. This made Storm's face flush worse, earning her laughs from everyone including Optimus; causing Sarah to speak up. "I'll take that as a yes, you are hungry. Please, do come inside."

Storm and Optimus walked into the home per Sarah's invitation and permission as Lennox disappeared into the back of the home where Storm could hear the faint sound of an infant crying. She smiled to herself upon softly seeing this as Sarah led her and the Autobot leader over to the kitchen.

Storm sat down at the dining table as did Optimus, the Autobot leader sitting down at her right. She briefly glanced back towards the front door, wondering why Ironhide hadn't joined them.

She proceeded to turn her gaze to her left once she heard a wooden chair being pulled out, finding that it was Lennox. She took immediate notice of the human child within his arms, her eyes lighting up with curiousity.

Lennox must have seen this. He looked over at Storm, a smirk on his face as he spoke to her. "She's cute, isn't she?"

Storm didn't take her eyes off of the small child as she responded to Lennox's question. "Yes. She is. This is the first time I have ever been so close to a human child this young."

Storm spoke those words before she could stop them, realizing the blunder she had just made. Her eyes widened as both she and Lennox looked over to Sarah to see if she'd heard what Storm had said and thankfully, it appeared she hadn't. The woman was standing over her stove seemingly un-phased, finishing in preparing the food she had started on earlier that day in anticipation of their arrival.

Lennox chuckled as Storm breathed out a sigh of relief, smiling over at Storm as he spoke up with another question for her. "Would you like to hold her?"

Storm's eyes widened in panic upon hearing Lennox's words and she responded to him lowly. "I-uh...I-I don't know. I've never held a human child before."

Lennox laughed at the alien woman over her naivety as he stood up, walking over to her with his daughter in his arms. "Here. I'll show you."

Storm began to panic further, attempting to convince Lennox otherwise of doing this though he wouldn't take no for an answer. He trusted Storm, knowing that she would not harm his child.

He gently pushed his daughter into her arms, explaining to her how to hold his child properly as he did so. "Now, all you need to do is put your hands under her arms for support. Just watch out, though. She might pull your hair or anything else she can get ahold of for that matter."

Storm hesitantly did as she was told by Lennox the best that she could, afraid of holding the small child whom was wiggling anxiously within her grasp. She was afraid she might harm the fragile human on accident.

She supported the child's weight, genuinely surprised that the being was doing most of the work for her, holding itself up in her lap with it's legs. Lennox's daughter began making high-pitched noises at Storm whilst grabbing at her hair, causing the Forerunner to smile down at the human child sweetly.

The NEST Major and Optimus watched the alien female with fondness as her earlier anxiety and fear calmed, Storm proceeding to play with the child gently. It made Optimus fill with warmth seeing her play with the human sparkling. Had life not been so cruel to her, he was sure the Forerunner would have made an excellent example of a femme creator given the chance.

Storm continued to play with Lennox's child until a plate of food was placed before her by Sarah. Lennox took Annabelle back from Storm in response, allowing her arms to be free so that she could eat her much desired food.

Storm dove into her plate as Sarah offered a plate to Optimus, the Autobot leader politely declining due to his holoform's inability to consume the substance though he thanked her regardless.

As Storm wen't to take her second bite of food, Ironhide walked into the home with his holoform. He was muscular, a scar over one eye with his black hair cut short; a pair of army pants covering his lower half and a black, sleeveless top covering his upper half.

The fork was almost to her mouth when she stopped, mumbling to herself lowly in disappointment. "What the hell? His holoform isn't a walking ass with legs..."

She thought what she'd said would go un-heard due to it's low tone, but it hadn't. Lennox had heard her. He began to choke on his food as Sarah sat down beside him, patting her husband on the back repetitively as she asked him if he was alright, only turning to her own plate of food once Lennox had recovered.

Everything was silent from then as the group ate. That was until Sarah spoke up with a question that was aimed towards Storm. "So, do you work in the same area as Will at NEST?"

Storm nodded to Sarah in affirmation, answering her in-between bites. "Yeah...You could say that."

Storm's response seemed satisfactory enough for Sarah, the woman returning to eating her food as she diverted her questions towards her husband for the rest of their meal.

Once everyone was finished, Sarah took everyone's dishes to the sink before taking Annabelle from her husbands arms.

Lennox wiped his face with a napkin, placing it on the table as he stood and gestured for Storm to follow him upstairs, stating that he was going to show her to the guest room of their home. She glanced out of one of the many windows of their home, now understanding why. It was quickly getting dark, the sun already setting.

She followed after the NEST Major and Optimus dismissed his holoform in a flurry of crackling blue particles. He transformed up to his bi-pedal form just outside as Lennox escorted Storm to her room.

The NEST Major opened the door to a room and Storm entered. The room was spacious and inviting, the walls painted a pale yellow and the sheets of her temporary bed stark white, reminding her much of her bed back at NEST. She thanked Lennox before he could leave, the man shutting the door to her appointed quarters upon his exit.

She walked over to one of the three windows of her room, opening one in order to let in the fresh, crisp air from outside, catching sight of Optimus whom was watching the sunset not too far away. He looked beautiful in this moment, the vibrant shades of orange, pink, and red reflecting off his metal body.

The Autobot leader must have sensed Storm's gaze, turning to face her direction. He proceeded to walk the short distance over to Storm, kneeling down before Lennox's home so that his face was only inches away from Storm and where she had moved to sit in the open window, her back placed against it's frame with one of her legs hanging lazily out of the window as she spoke to him. "It's beautiful out here, isn't it?"

Optimus agreed with Storm. It was indeed a most beautiful sight, one that was made even more beautiful and meaningful to him with Storm present.

Storm suddenly began to climb out of the window, snapping Optimus from his thoughts. She scaled Lennox's home with ease to lay on the roof so that Optimus wouldn't have to strain his body kneeling before her window. She placed her hands behind her head as a pillow, staring off into the horizon with a now standing Optimus in silence.

That was until she heard an all to familiar sound which she recognized.

Storm sat up quickly from her laying position, yelling out loudly with excitement to no one in particular. "Oh my God! Lennox has cows?!"

Optimus was amused by Storm's sudden outburst, chuckling to himself as he turned to look at her. "Is that important?"

Storm rubbed at the back of her neck in embarrasment. "Uh...not really. I just really like them. I've always admired Earth and it's vastly differing local fauna as well as humans and their ability to tame it."

Optimus smiled fondly at Storm. She was easily amused and never failed to try and find the good in something or someone. He admired this about her.

She apologized to Optimus for her strange outburst as she happily watched the animals graze in their field from afar, not noticing that he was staring at her. He couldn't take his eyes off of Storm in this moment, the vibrant colors of the sky reflecting in her eyes.

The Autobot leader decided in that moment that after they had seen Sam off to college and when the time was right, he was going to tell Storm of his spark calling out to her.

He only hoped that the Forerunner female whom he had become so fond of would return his sentiment.

* * *

 **Ah, finally. I got this chapter done.**

 **Much later than I wanted to, though.**

 **I had hoped to have this chapter done earlier but I've been taking care of a little six week old puppy my sister found yesterday in a pretty bad predicament so he's been taking up a lot of my time.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Before you all say it, I know, I'm horrible. I didn't manage to upload another chapter last week like I had intended. I tried though, trust me.**

 **I had begun work on this chapter Monday when I began to hear my guinea pig squeaking in an abnormal way. I walked over to her cage and picked her up to find out what was wrong and was shocked. She had a sack hanging out of her rear-end, to put it politely. She was pregnant (without my knowledge) and was giving birth.**

 **Now, you all may be saying, "that's nothing abnormal, she's female and birthing is a part of life".**

 **Well, it is abnormal when the pet store I received both of my guinea pigs from assured me they were both female as they ONLY receive female's to sale. Turns out they had made a mistake and didn't check their gender properly (I called the store, they confirmed this as I wasn't the only one who called and had ended up with surprise babies, apparently) because upon inspection of the first guinea pig I bought, he is definitely a male.**

 **So now I have three furry squish-beans who as of right now all have homes waiting for them when they are ready to be seperated from mom in a few weeks.**

 **Long explanation, I know. I just wanted all of you to know why I hadn't uploaded in a bit.**

 **I haven't forgotten about this story.**

* * *

 _Earth, birthplace of the human race._

 _A species much like our own, capable of great compassion, and great violence._

 _For in our quest to protect the humans, a deeper revelation dawns._

 _Our worlds have met before._

 _For the last two years,_

 _An advanced team of new Autobots has taken refuge here under my command._

 _Together, we form an alliance with the humans and the last of the Forerunner._

 _A secret but brave squad of soldiers._

 _A classified stirke team called "NEST"._

 _We hunt for what remains of our Decepticon foes_

 _Hiding in different countries around the globe._

* * *

Storm was completely silent as she paced the metal expanse that was the inside of the military aircraft, doing so around Ironhide's alt-mode. The soldiers around her were visibly tense as was the air collectively surrounding them. This was not a good situation, Storm thought silently. This was the sixth rogue Decepticon sighting in eight months.

She felt that there was an underlying reason for the sudden resurgance. The Decepticons had readily been making themselves known, not even attempting to be the least bit inconspicuous with themselves or their actions. Whatever the reasoning, Storm did not know for sure. However, she was sure that that it would not bode well for the future.

Storm's face must have betrayed her inner turmoil as Lennox was staring at her with an odd expression. "Are you alright, Stormy?"

Storm snapped her eyes up from the floor toward Lennox, meeting his concerned gaze. "Yes, Will. I'm just worried as well as frustrated."

Lennox sighed heavily in response, averting his gaze towards the ground whilst he rubbed at his forehead in exasperation. "I think we all are, Stormy. We _just_ got back to base and already there's another Decepticon sighting."

Storm scoffed, proceeding shortly after to bark out a small laugh to the NEST Major. "Well, you know the human saying. "No rest for the wicked" I suppose."

Lennox sluggishly agreed with Storm as he stood up, directing his attention to the soldiers within the military aircraft whom were now preparing to depart from the plane as he spoke. "Alright, listen up. China's cover story on this one is a "toxic spill". We've got to make sure this one doesn't get out in the public eye, so keep it tight."

After debriefing the soldiers, the plane began in it's descent to land at the Chinese military base below them. This only furthered Storm's current anticipation, the Forerunner exiting the plane with determination once the aircraft door had opened. She was not the least bit oblivious to the fact that she was being stared at for her appearence though she was not concerned with this.

She walked with a small group of soldiers, all of them collectively following after Ironhide as he removed himself from the back of the plane. The Autobot weapon's specialist opened his doors for Lennox and Epps, the pair climbing in willingly upon his invitation.

Storm opted to climb into the bed of his alt-mode with the other soldiers, holding onto Ironhide's vertical exhaust stack with a clawed hand carefully where she stood as he began to pull away with haste towards what she presumed was the last location reported that the rogue Decepticon had been spotted.

...

Once the group arrived, Storm took in her surroundings, leaping down off the back of Ironhide's truck bed as Lennox and Epps emerged from their respective places inside his alt-mode.

The NEST Major walked around the Autobot weapon's specialist, tapping the hood of his alt-mode lightly two times with his fist as he spoke to him with a serious inflection. "Alright, Ironhide. We've got echoes. Vamos."

Ironhide did as was implied of him, transforming up to his bi-pedal form once the soldiers were at a safe enough distance away for him to do so.

Storm stared up at Ironhide, watching the mech as he began to sniff the air in a strange fashion before speaking to those around him. "He's here. I can smell him."

Storm scoffed upon hearing this, snorting out a laugh. "What the hell are you, Iron-aft? A bloodhound?"

The Autobot weapon's specialist had obviously not understood her joke, looking down at her with confusion. "I am nowhere close to resembing an Earth mammal."

Storm simply rolled her eyes in response to what Ironhide had said, thinking to herself in that moment that the black mech was _extremely_ dense. Something both he and Sideswipe seemed to share in common, obviously.

Storm followed after Lennox and Epps as they made their way across a paved road, trailing closely behind them. She summoned a Forerunner bolt-shot into each of her clawed hands with a flurry of orange particles as she followed them, stopping beside the pair as they hid beside a rundown in appearence building.

"Oh, no." Epps said with worry, looking down at the screen of the device held within his hand.

Lennox stepped in behind the male, looking down at the device as he spoke to him with a question. "What have you got?"

Epps pointed to an area of the screen that was sporting many vibrant colors. "Thermal ripple."

Storm prepared herself upon hearing this. The rogue Decepticon was most definitely here.

Lennox pressed two fingers against the earpiece within his ear, advising caution to the rest of the team in hushed tones. "Alright, everybody. Be steady. We are right on top of it."

Storm did not like Lennox's usage of the word "it" in referrence to the rogue Decepticon though she opted to ignore this. Now was not the time for them to be fighting nor to debate over the usage of appropriate pronouns as there were much more important matters currently at hand.

In that moment, Storm was forcefully snapped from her thoughts by the distinct sounds of shiftng metal. She willed forward her protective mask and turned quickly towards the sound, panic rushing through her. The surprisingly large Decepticon must have spotted them in their hesitation to act, slinging missiles at the group haphazardly, knocking multiple human soldiers back whilst pinning one beneath a concrete cylinder before Storm could react to save them.

She ran over to the pinned human with in-human speed, using the advanced strength that her suit and Ancila granted her to lift the object off the man before tossing it in the opposite direction.

She looked down to the human male, examining him for any external or potential internal injuries. Thankfully, he appeared to be fine other that what seemed to be minor abrasions and bruising. She yelled out for the human medic in their group as she caught a glimpse of a silver vehicle driving away from her perphiral. One which seemed vaguely familiar to her.

Once she was sure the human would be cared for, Storm activated the gravitational manipulator of her suit to chase after the vehicle as she knew that there was no way she would be able to take on the giant Decepticon whom was now making his escape. She would leave that to Optimus.

Storm flew away after the the vehicle with speed, meeting up along the way with the Arcee triplets, much to her surprise. If they were here, then Storm's earlier, un-spoken assumption was correct. This car was a Decepticon.

Storm raised her bolt-shots out in-front of her as she flew, shooting at the silver vehicle with precision as she weaved through the streets of China.

That was when the Decepticon did something Storm hadn't anticipated. It transformed up to it's bi-pedal form and dove through the side of a residential building.

The Arcee triplets followed after the Decepticon through the large hole it had made as did Storm and she was thankful to see that the aged human male's within the building had not been harmed.

The silver Decepticon led the four of them in a circle, coming back around to the end of a street where Lennox and some other soldiers were now positioned. This Decepticon was much too fast for either of the four of them, but she knew someone he couldn't outrun.

As she flew by them, Storm yelled out to Lennox quickly with a deadly tone of seriousness, her voice tinged with metal due to her protective mask. "We need Sideswipe! Now!"

Lennox didn't hesitate, calling in Sideswipe via his radio. The silver Autobot rounded the corner soon after, following after a now far ahead Storm in her chase of the unknown second Decepticon though Sideswipe matched the distance easily, coming up behind the silver vehicle and subsequently Storm who was right behind it.

She now knew why this vehicle had seemed familiar now that she was closer to it. She recognized this vehicle. It was the one she had seen leaving the mall many years ago when she had been shopping with Mikaela and Sam.

Storm moved out of the way for Sideswipe to intercept the Deception and the silver mech she had came to know as one of her closest friends preformed a somersault over the vehicle, detaching one of his wrist mounted blades and slinging it deep into the front of the Decepticon's alt-mode.

The Autobot frontliner landed in-front of the silver enemy and grabbed onto his wrist blade that was stuck in the hood of the Decepticon, dragging it through his alt-mode with little resistence and cutting him competely in half.

Sideswipe stopped in his place, spinning in a graceful circle twice before retracting his wrist blades and posing in a jokingly egotistical manner. "Damn, I'm good!"

Storm snorted in laughter from behind her mask, having heard this comment as she flew past him on her way to apprehend the large, one-wheeled Decepticon whom had escaped.

Sideswipe was a complete show-off, Storm thought to herself fondly.

...

Storm barrled down the human-made highway at high speeds, catching up with Epps and the soldiers whom were now chasing after their only and most major threat. She lowered herself down close to them, listening to Epps as he brought a radio up to his face and proceeded to speak into it. "Air support, we need Big Buddah to deliver the drop now."

Storm chuckled from behind her mask upon hearing what Epps had said, not knowing if they had chosen to call the transport carrying Optimus by such a call-sign or if it were Optimus himself as both would aptly fit.

Not long after this, a large military plane flew overhead. It proceeded to drop a very valiant in appearence Optimus out of it in his alt-mode, the Autobot leader transforming mid-fall complete with parachutes to slow his descent.

Optmus detached his parachutes when in close proximity to the highway below him, transforming back to his alt-mode as soon as he hit the ground whilst speaking through his communications to his Autobots and Storm as well, knowing well that she was listening. "Autobots, Tempest, I am in pursuit."

Storm sped up, closing the distance between her and Optimus as she responded to him. "Understood, Prime."

She stayed close to the Autobot leader, only slowing in her chase once they came upon the large Decepticon, Demolisher. She watched as Optimus transformed, leaping onto Demolisher's face. He grappled with the large Decepticon as it rammed through a thankfully empty overpass causing Storm's heart to sink. There were going to be many potential human casualities if this situation continued on as it was.

Optimus swung himself up on-top of the Decepticon's head, gathering his equilibrium and standing before proceeding to fire multiple shots into it's head with the hand that Optimus had transformed into a deadly blaster.

Storm attempted to aid the Autobot leader to the best of her ability despite her small size, firing off her dual bolt-shots at the Cybertronian titan until it ran off the elevated highway and into an empty area below.

Storm hastily floated down next to Optimus whom was now walking up to meet the Decepticon nearing the end of his existence along with Ironhide, following him until he stopped.

The Autobot weapons specialist rotated his shoulders to relieve their tension, speaking out with anger as he did so. "Punk-ass Decepticon!"

Optimus ignored the black mech and his comments, continuing to walk towards Demolisher as Storm deactivated the gravitational manipulator of he suit, lowering herself onto the ground as the Autobot leader spoke to the Decepticon with audible disappointment and anger. "Any last words?"

Demolisher rolled his head to the side to face Optimus, attempting to speak despite missing half of his face due to the Autobot leader firing upon him at such a close proximity. "This is not your planet to rule! The Fallen shall rise again!"

Storm felt an uncomfortabe sensation wash over her upon hearing this, a million questions flooding her mind. The most important of those being what is "The Fallen"?

She did not know. But whatever it meant, it held a sense of fore-boading and of something more to come. This much she knew for certain.

Optimus did not seem phased, however. He pointed his weapon at Demolisher's face and Storm turned away, not wanting to see the end come for the Decepticon before her as the Autobot leader responded to his comments. "Not today."

Storm heard the shot resound and she flinched before slowly turning around to face the Decepticon whom was now absent of life. She walked over to his lifeless form, climbing on top of him carefully as Optimus watched her with curiousty.

Storm willed back her protective mask, lowering her now un-covered forehead to Demolisher's metal one as she spoke, recalling memories of Barricade when she had done the same for him after having no choice but to end his existence. "May the Domain welcome you with open arms, Brother."

Storm slowly removed her forehead from Demolisher's before gently stepping down from off his metal body, not missing that Optimus was staring at her nor the emotion on his face that was directed towards her. It was respect and admiration, no doubt for her previous actions.

However, she ignored this, walking to follow after the human soldiers whom were now leaving with Optimus and Ironhide following soon after her.

She walked in complete silence with Lennox and Epps, only breaking the afformentioned silence to ask the NEST Major a question once her stomach began to growl in hunger. "Hey, Lennox, Would you happen to know where the closest resturant is that'd still be open?"

Lennox turned to face Storm, looking to her with a confused expression. "Uh, no? I've never been to this country before, Stormy."

Storm crossed her arms over he chest, sighing heavily in disappointment. "Damn. I really wanted some food."

Lennox laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Is food all you think about? You can get some when we get back to NEST, Stormy. We need to get back so we can report this mission a success."

Storm narrowed her eyes at the NEST Major due to what he had said, Lennox not missing this action. He sighed tiredly before attempting to reason with the alien female. "Come on, Storm. We're all tired and want to go home. Can't we just leave, you get the food and then teleport back to NEST?"

Storm looked offened, jokingly holding a hand over the armored area above her heart in disbelief. "You want me to potentially damage my precious food by taking it through slip-space? Uh, uh. No deal."

Lennox was visibly becoming irritated. However, in recognizing Storm's obvious joking, the Autobots laughed, all of them finding her actions highly amusing. Especially Optimus. This was the side of Storm they had all grown so fond of and enjoyed so much.

Despite Lennox's previous protesting, Storm began to walk away, causing him to try and reason with her once again. "Please, Stormy. Let's just go home."

Storm turned around in her place, stopping temporarily to respond to Lennox. "You guys can go ahead back to the plane. I, however, will be temporarily confinscating Optimus to go find food and will return once I have some in my possession."

Lennox rubbed at his forehead in vexation, speaking up to Storm with a question. "Stormy, can you even speak Chinese?"

Storm scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Of course I can. Super-advanced alien, remember?"

Storm said nothing else other than this, turning back around before continuing on in her quest for food with Optimus following behind her willingly.

Lennox yelled out to her, trying to convince the Forerunner to come with them so that they could leave and potentially arrive back to NEST sooner but to no avail. She simply turned around to face him, walking backwards as she yelled out to him in joking with a smile on her face. "No! I am going to get myself some legit Chinese food and you can't do shit about it!"

Lennox watched on helplessly as the alien pair walked away, smiling to himself. He understood now that the Forerunner was purposefully being stubborn to try and get a rise out of him and she had succeeded. She had been teasing him.

The NEST Major turned to look at Ironhide, gesturing to him with a hand as he spoke with audible amusement. "She is ridiculous. Come on, Ironhide. Let's get back to the plane so we can wait on her and Optimus."

* * *

 **Ugh. I finally got this chapter done.**

 **I had a little trouble writing this chapter because I was trying to find the balance between making the end of it semi-funny without Storm seeming selfish because that is the complete opposite of what I want. I modelled Storm's personality after mine a lot in that I like to joke around and I try not to take a lot of situations too seriously (within reason, of course). I like to try and lighten people's moods in less than optimal situations.**

 **I purposefully wrote this chapter with the idea that no humans would be gravelly injured so that I could add in some funny stuff without it seeming "inappropriate". They just got bruised up a little, nothing life threatening.**

 **Now, I'm going to go play some Assassins Creed: Odyssey. I'm super tired and have a headache so I just want to rest at the moment.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**

 **(Also, the "Chinese Food" idea is not mine. It was supplied to me by Gamerman22.)**


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Before you all say it, I know, I'm horrible. I didn't manage to upload another chapter last week like I had intended. I tried though, trust me.**

 **I had begun work on this chapter Monday when I began to hear my guinea pig squeaking in an abnormal way. I walked over to her cage and picked her up to find out what was wrong and was shocked. She had a sack hanging out of her rear-end, to put it politely. She was pregnant (without my knowledge) and was giving birth.**

 **Now, you all may be saying, "that's nothing abnormal, she's female and birthing is a part of life".**

 **Well, it is abnormal when the pet store I received both of my guinea pigs from assured me they were both female as they ONLY receive female's to sale. Turns out they had made a mistake and didn't check their gender properly (I called the store, they confirmed this as I wasn't the only one who called and had ended up with surprise babies, apparently) because upon inspection of the first guinea pig I bought, he is definitely a male.**

 **So now I have three furry squish-beans who as of right now all have homes waiting for them when they are ready to be seperated from mom in a few weeks.**

 **Long explanation, I know. I just wanted all of you to know why I hadn't uploaded in a bit.**

 **I haven't forgotten about this story.**

* * *

 _Earth, birthplace of the human race._

 _A species much like our own, capable of great compassion, and great violence._

 _For in our quest to protect the humans, a deeper revelation dawns._

 _Our worlds have met before._

 _For the last two years,_

 _An advanced team of new Autobots has taken refuge here under my command._

 _Together, we form an alliance with the humans and the last of the Forerunner._

 _A secret but brave squad of soldiers._

 _A classified stirke team called "NEST"._

 _We hunt for what remains of our Decepticon foes_

 _Hiding in different countries around the globe._

* * *

Storm was completely silent as she paced the metal expanse that was the inside of the military aircraft, doing so around Ironhide's alt-mode. The soldiers around her were visibly tense as was the air collectively surrounding them. This was not a good situation, Storm thought silently. This was the sixth rogue Decepticon sighting in eight months.

She felt that there was an underlying reason for the sudden resurgance. The Decepticons had readily been making themselves known, not even attempting to be the least bit inconspicuous with themselves or their actions. Whatever the reasoning, Storm did not know for sure. However, she was sure that that it would not bode well for the future.

Storm's face must have betrayed her inner turmoil as Lennox was staring at her with an odd expression. "Are you alright, Stormy?"

Storm snapped her eyes up from the floor toward Lennox, meeting his concerned gaze. "Yes, Will. I'm just worried as well as frustrated."

Lennox sighed heavily in response, averting his gaze towards the ground whilst he rubbed at his forehead in exasperation. "I think we all are, Stormy. We _just_ got back to base and already there's another Decepticon sighting."

Storm scoffed, proceeding shortly after to bark out a small laugh to the NEST Major. "Well, you know the human saying. "No rest for the wicked" I suppose."

Lennox sluggishly agreed with Storm as he stood up, directing his attention to the soldiers within the military aircraft whom were now preparing to depart from the plane as he spoke. "Alright, listen up. China's cover story on this one is a "toxic spill". We've got to make sure this one doesn't get out in the public eye, so keep it tight."

After debriefing the soldiers, the plane began in it's descent to land at the Chinese military base below them. This only furthered Storm's current anticipation, the Forerunner exiting the plane with determination once the aircraft door had opened. She was not the least bit oblivious to the fact that she was being stared at for her appearence though she was not concerned with this.

She walked with a small group of soldiers, all of them collectively following after Ironhide as he removed himself from the back of the plane. The Autobot weapon's specialist opened his doors for Lennox and Epps, the pair climbing in willingly upon his invitation.

Storm opted to climb into the bed of his alt-mode with the other soldiers, holding onto Ironhide's vertical exhaust stack with a clawed hand carefully where she stood as he began to pull away with haste towards what she presumed was the last location reported that the rogue Decepticon had been spotted.

...

Once the group arrived, Storm took in her surroundings, leaping down off the back of Ironhide's truck bed as Lennox and Epps emerged from their respective places inside his alt-mode.

The NEST Major walked around the Autobot weapon's specialist, tapping the hood of his alt-mode lightly two times with his fist as he spoke to him with a serious inflection. "Alright, Ironhide. We've got echoes. Vamos."

Ironhide did as was implied of him, transforming up to his bi-pedal form once the soldiers were at a safe enough distance away for him to do so.

Storm stared up at Ironhide, watching the mech as he began to sniff the air in a strange fashion before speaking to those around him. "He's here. I can smell him."

Storm scoffed upon hearing this, snorting out a laugh. "What the hell are you, Iron-aft? A bloodhound?"

The Autobot weapon's specialist had obviously not understood her joke, looking down at her with confusion. "I am nowhere close to resembing an Earth mammal."

Storm simply rolled her eyes in response to what Ironhide had said, thinking to herself in that moment that the black mech was _extremely_ dense. Something both he and Sideswipe seemed to share in common, obviously.

Storm followed after Lennox and Epps as they made their way across a paved road, trailing closely behind them. She summoned a Forerunner bolt-shot into each of her clawed hands with a flurry of orange particles as she followed them, stopping beside the pair as they hid beside a rundown in appearence building.

"Oh, no." Epps said with worry, looking down at the screen of the device held within his hand.

Lennox stepped in behind the male, looking down at the device as he spoke to him with a question. "What have you got?"

Epps pointed to an area of the screen that was sporting many vibrant colors. "Thermal ripple."

Storm prepared herself upon hearing this. The rogue Decepticon was most definitely here.

Lennox pressed two fingers against the earpiece within his ear, advising caution to the rest of the team in hushed tones. "Alright, everybody. Be steady. We are right on top of it."

Storm did not like Lennox's usage of the word "it" in referrence to the rogue Decepticon though she opted to ignore this. Now was not the time for them to be fighting nor to debate over the usage of appropriate pronouns as there were much more important matters currently at hand.

In that moment, Storm was forcefully snapped from her thoughts by the distinct sounds of shiftng metal. She willed forward her protective mask and turned quickly towards the sound, panic rushing through her. The surprisingly large Decepticon must have spotted them in their hesitation to act, slinging missiles at the group haphazardly, knocking multiple human soldiers back whilst pinning one beneath a concrete cylinder before Storm could react to save them.

She ran over to the pinned human with in-human speed, using the advanced strength that her suit and Ancila granted her to lift the object off the man before tossing it in the opposite direction.

She looked down to the human male, examining him for any external or potential internal injuries. Thankfully, he appeared to be fine other that what seemed to be minor abrasions and bruising. She yelled out for the human medic in their group as she caught a glimpse of a silver vehicle driving away from her perphiral. One which seemed vaguely familiar to her.

Once she was sure the human would be cared for, Storm activated the gravitational manipulator of her suit to chase after the vehicle as she knew that there was no way she would be able to take on the giant Decepticon whom was now making his escape. She would leave that to Optimus.

Storm flew away after the the vehicle with speed, meeting up along the way with the Arcee triplets, much to her surprise. If they were here, then Storm's earlier, un-spoken assumption was correct. This car was a Decepticon.

Storm raised her bolt-shots out in-front of her as she flew, shooting at the silver vehicle with precision as she weaved through the streets of China.

That was when the Decepticon did something Storm hadn't anticipated. It transformed up to it's bi-pedal form and dove through the side of a residential building.

The Arcee triplets followed after the Decepticon through the large hole it had made as did Storm and she was thankful to see that the aged human male's within the building had not been harmed.

The silver Decepticon led the four of them in a circle, coming back around to the end of a street where Lennox and some other soldiers were now positioned. This Decepticon was much too fast for either of the four of them, but she knew someone he couldn't outrun.

As she flew by them, Storm yelled out to Lennox quickly with a deadly tone of seriousness, her voice tinged with metal due to her protective mask. "We need Sideswipe! Now!"

Lennox didn't hesitate, calling in Sideswipe via his radio. The silver Autobot rounded the corner soon after, following after a now far ahead Storm in her chase of the unknown second Decepticon though Sideswipe matched the distance easily, coming up behind the silver vehicle and subsequently Storm who was right behind it.

She now knew why this vehicle had seemed familiar now that she was closer to it. She recognized this vehicle. It was the one she had seen leaving the mall many years ago when she had been shopping with Mikaela and Sam.

Storm moved out of the way for Sideswipe to intercept the Deception and the silver mech she had came to know as one of her closest friends preformed a somersault over the vehicle, detaching one of his wrist mounted blades and slinging it deep into the front of the Decepticon's alt-mode.

The Autobot frontliner landed in-front of the silver enemy and grabbed onto his wrist blade that was stuck in the hood of the Decepticon, dragging it through his alt-mode with little resistence and cutting him competely in half.

Sideswipe stopped in his place, spinning in a graceful circle twice before retracting his wrist blades and posing in a jokingly egotistical manner. "Damn, I'm good!"

Storm snorted in laughter from behind her mask, having heard this comment as she flew past him on her way to apprehend the large, one-wheeled Decepticon whom had escaped.

Sideswipe was a complete show-off, Storm thought to herself fondly.

...

Storm barrled down the human-made highway at high speeds, catching up with Epps and the soldiers whom were now chasing after their only and most major threat. She lowered herself down close to them, listening to Epps as he brought a radio up to his face and proceeded to speak into it. "Air support, we need Big Buddah to deliver the drop now."

Storm chuckled from behind her mask upon hearing what Epps had said, not knowing if they had chosen to call the transport carrying Optimus by such a call-sign or if it were Optimus himself as both would aptly fit.

Not long after this, a large military plane flew overhead. It proceeded to drop a very valiant in appearence Optimus out of it in his alt-mode, the Autobot leader transforming mid-fall complete with parachutes to slow his descent.

Optmus detached his parachutes when in close proximity to the highway below him, transforming back to his alt-mode as soon as he hit the ground whilst speaking through his communications to his Autobots and Storm as well, knowing well that she was listening. "Autobots, Tempest, I am in pursuit."

Storm sped up, closing the distance between her and Optimus as she responded to him. "Understood, Prime."

She stayed close to the Autobot leader, only slowing in her chase once they came upon the large Decepticon, Demolisher. She watched as Optimus transformed, leaping onto Demolisher's face. He grappled with the large Decepticon as it rammed through a thankfully empty overpass causing Storm's heart to sink. There were going to be many potential human casualities if this situation continued on as it was.

Optimus swung himself up on-top of the Decepticon's head, gathering his equilibrium and standing before proceeding to fire multiple shots into it's head with the hand that Optimus had transformed into a deadly blaster.

Storm attempted to aid the Autobot leader to the best of her ability despite her small size, firing off her dual bolt-shots at the Cybertronian titan until it ran off the elevated highway and into an empty area below.

Storm hastily floated down next to Optimus whom was now walking up to meet the Decepticon nearing the end of his existence along with Ironhide, following him until he stopped.

The Autobot weapons specialist rotated his shoulders to relieve their tension, speaking out with anger as he did so. "Punk-ass Decepticon!"

Optimus ignored the black mech and his comments, continuing to walk towards Demolisher as Storm deactivated the gravitational manipulator of he suit, lowering herself onto the ground as the Autobot leader spoke to the Decepticon with audible disappointment and anger. "Any last words?"

Demolisher rolled his head to the side to face Optimus, attempting to speak despite missing half of his face due to the Autobot leader firing upon him at such a close proximity. "This is not your planet to rule! The Fallen shall rise again!"

Storm felt an uncomfortabe sensation wash over her upon hearing this, a million questions flooding her mind. The most important of those being what is "The Fallen"?

She did not know. But whatever it meant, it held a sense of fore-boading and of something more to come. This much she knew for certain.

Optimus did not seem phased, however. He pointed his weapon at Demolisher's face and Storm turned away, not wanting to see the end come for the Decepticon before her as the Autobot leader responded to his comments. "Not today."

Storm heard the shot resound and she flinched before slowly turning around to face the Decepticon whom was now absent of life. She walked over to his lifeless form, climbing on top of him carefully as Optimus watched her with curiousty.

Storm willed back her protective mask, lowering her now un-covered forehead to Demolisher's metal one as she spoke, recalling memories of Barricade when she had done the same for him after having no choice but to end his existence. "May the Domain welcome you with open arms, Brother."

Storm slowly removed her forehead from Demolisher's before gently stepping down from off his metal body, not missing that Optimus was staring at her nor the emotion on his face that was directed towards her. It was respect and admiration, no doubt for her previous actions.

However, she ignored this, walking to follow after the human soldiers whom were now leaving with Optimus and Ironhide following soon after her.

She walked in complete silence with Lennox and Epps, only breaking the afformentioned silence to ask the NEST Major a question once her stomach began to growl in hunger. "Hey, Lennox, Would you happen to know where the closest resturant is that'd still be open?"

Lennox turned to face Storm, looking to her with a confused expression. "Uh, no? I've never been to this country before, Stormy."

Storm crossed her arms over he chest, sighing heavily in disappointment. "Damn. I really wanted some food."

Lennox laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Is food all you think about? You can get some when we get back to NEST, Stormy. We need to get back so we can report this mission a success."

Storm narrowed her eyes at the NEST Major due to what he had said, Lennox not missing this action. He sighed tiredly before attempting to reason with the alien female. "Come on, Storm. We're all tired and want to go home. Can't we just leave, you get the food and then teleport back to NEST?"

Storm looked offened, jokingly holding a hand over the armored area above her heart in disbelief. "You want me to potentially damage my precious food by taking it through slip-space? Uh, uh. No deal."

Lennox was visibly becoming irritated. However, in recognizing Storm's obvious joking, the Autobots laughed, all of them finding her actions highly amusing. Especially Optimus. This was the side of Storm they had all grown so fond of and enjoyed so much.

Despite Lennox's previous protesting, Storm began to walk away, causing him to try and reason with her once again. "Please, Stormy. Let's just go home."

Storm turned around in her place, stopping temporarily to respond to Lennox. "You guys can go ahead back to the plane. I, however, will be temporarily confinscating Optimus to go find food and will return once I have some in my possession."

Lennox rubbed at his forehead in vexation, speaking up to Storm with a question. "Stormy, can you even speak Chinese?"

Storm scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Of course I can. Super-advanced alien, remember?"

Storm said nothing else other than this, turning back around before continuing on in her quest for food with Optimus following behind her willingly.

Lennox yelled out to her, trying to convince the Forerunner to come with them so that they could leave and potentially arrive back to NEST sooner but to no avail. She simply turned around to face him, walking backwards as she yelled out to him in joking with a smile on her face. "No! I am going to get myself some legit Chinese food and you can't do shit about it!"

Lennox watched on helplessly as the alien pair walked away, smiling to himself. He understood now that the Forerunner was purposefully being stubborn to try and get a rise out of him and she had succeeded. She had been teasing him.

The NEST Major turned to look at Ironhide, gesturing to him with a hand as he spoke with audible amusement. "She is ridiculous. Come on, Ironhide. Let's get back to the plane so we can wait on her and Optimus."

* * *

 **Ugh. I finally got this chapter done.**

 **I had a little trouble writing this chapter because I was trying to find the balance between making the end of it semi-funny without Storm seeming selfish because that is the complete opposite of what I want. I modelled Storm's personality after mine a lot in that I like to joke around and I try not to take a lot of situations too seriously (within reason, of course). I like to try and lighten people's moods in less than optimal situations.**

 **I purposefully wrote this chapter with the idea that no humans would be gravelly injured so that I could add in some funny stuff without it seeming "inappropriate". They just got bruised up a little, nothing life threatening.**

 **Now, I'm going to go play some Assassins Creed: Odyssey. I'm super tired and have a headache so I just want to rest at the moment.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**

 **(Also, the "Chinese Food" idea is not mine. It was supplied to me by Gamerman22.)**


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **This chapter is going to show a little bit of rising tension between Storm and Galloway. Not a lot, but just enough to begin setting up the degrading relationship between Storm, the Autobots, and the humans which as we all know will eventually lead to what happens in AoE and subsequently TLK.**

 **I'm going to be doing my best to alter future chapters to include more of this degradation as I feel in my last attempt at this story I didn't do a good enough job, just enough to "get by" if that makes sense. Coming up with more ideas for this will most definitely be a struggle, I'm sure.**

 **So, if any of you have ideas you'd like to give me (you will receive credit, of course) for situations or chapters that involve disagreements or tension-causing moments, they would be greatly appreciated.**

* * *

The flight back to NEST was long and arduous, tiring Storm further than she already was after her assisting the Autobots in Shanghai. However, it was made slightly easier for her given the large amount of food she had procured before leaving, serving as a distraction.

Storm ate all of it in one sitting, ignoring the looks she was being given by the soldiers around her, including Lennox. The man was staring at her in a mixture of confusion and shock, his thoughts easily deducible. He was obviously wondering as to where she was putting all of the food and how she had managed to consume it all herself.

She chuckled, finishing off the last bites of her food as they landed in a semi-rough fashion onto the tarmac of NEST.

She stood from her seat as the large door to the military aircraft opened, grabbing her trash that she had accumulated during the flight to take it with her and throwing it away into a trash bin once she had exited the plane.

Neither Storm nor Lennox had a chance to settle in as it seemed that Galloway was already waiting for them, a furious expression plastered on his face.

Lennox approached the liaison, speaking up to him with respect though Storm could easily hear the under-tone of disdain resonating through his words. "Director Galloway, what a pleasant surprise. To whom do I owe the honor of you gracing us today?"

Storm snickered lowly to herself upon hearing what Lennox had said, amused by the NEST Major's sarcastic remark. Galloway, however, was not so amused. He responded to Lennox by shoving a piece of paper into his face rudely. "Presedential order, Major. I've got a message for your classified space buddies! You guy's made a mess of Shanghai!"

Director Galloway turned his attention to Storm after speaking to Lennox, an index finger pointed into her un-armored face rudely. "You, Forerunner. Follow me."

Storm narrowed her eyes at the liaison, following after him angrily as he stomped away from her with Lennox at her side. "Excuse me? I'd suggest you abandon your rude tone, _human_."

The liaison all but ignored Storm, her blood feeling as if it was boiling inside her veins. She had never treated _any_ human in the same manner as Galloway was treating her in this moment. She did not deserve this blatant disrespect.

Storm silently followed after the irate Galloway into the Autobot hangar, thinking to herself that the man before her could always manage to ruin her good mood. If she was happy, Galloway would know and destroy all traces of the emotion.

Lennox came to a stop once Storm had, standing at her side as he gestured around the Autobot hangar and eventually to the metal platform within it's center for Galloway with an open hand. "This area serves as the Autobots permenant residential hangar and as you already know, where we communicate with the JCS."

Storm followed Lennox's movements, directing her attention towards the metal platform before her. There were humans standing upon it's surface, one of them turning to face Lennox as he spoke. "Secure link to JCS is up, Major."

Storm groaned internally as Lennox left her side, the NEST Major walking towards the ladder of the metal platform before climbing it. After the stressful situation fighting Decepticons only hours ago, she would now most likely be forced to speak with the human leaders.

Storm willed her protective mask over her face, using the gravitational manipulator of her suit to float up onto the large metal platform just behind the camera as Optimus pulled into the hangar in his alt-mode.

The balding human male whom had spoke to Lennox moments ago turned to face him, speaking to him once again with a nod. "Secure line to the Pentagon is now open."

Lennox returned the man's nod, walking in-front of the expensive looking camera as Storm crossed her arms over her chest from behind it. "General."

The older man on the screen appeared stressed if his body posture was anything to go by, his expression bent up in the same emotion. "Will, I saw the Shanghai op."

Lennox rubbed at the back of his neck tiredly, sighing heavily. "We had a rough day out there, sir."

The older human male simply nodded in response to what Lennox had said and Storm thought that he seemed to be rather level-headed as well as understanding of their situation. All the properties of someone she could easily see herself getting along with.

Lennox raised his hands out in-front of him, continuing to speak to the NEST General. "We have intel that I believe warrants an immediate debrief, sir. Now, with your permission, I can't let you see him given the complicated circumstances. But I would like you to hear from the leader of the Autobots."

Optimus assumed this as his cue, transforming up to his full height before turning around to face Storm. Though the Autobot leader couldn't see it, she was smiling at him from behind her mask.

Storm removed an arm from over her chest and held up a clawed index finger to her mask, tracing an invisible smile over where her mouth would be that was aimed towards the regal leader. Her actions caused the corners of Optimus' mouth plating to curl up in a simulated smile that warmed Storm's body. He had understood her gesture.

Optimus averted his attention towards the screen where he could see the NEST General though out of view of the camera, relaying to him the information which Lennox had eluded to. "General, our alliance has countermanded six Decepticon incursions this year, each on a different continent. They are clearly searching around the world for something. But last night's encounter came with a warning."

Optimus proceeded to play a recording he had apparently taken of Demolisher before his last moment's, the Decepticon's sinister last words sending chills across Storm's armored body as she flinched.

The NEST General was obviously curious as well as intrigued. "The Fallen. Meaning what, exactly?"

Optimus looked down to Storm with concern as he answered the NEST General's question. He had seen her flinch. "Origin unknown. The only recorded history of our race was contained within the All-Spark and lost with it's destruction."

Storm felt a pang of hurt and guilt flood her upon hearing what Optimus had said. She had no previous knowledge that two years ago she had essentially took part in destroying the Cybertronian equivalent of the Domain, the object containing the collective information on all of Cybertronian life.

Storm was interrupted in her thoughts, Director Galloway choosing that moment to speak up to Optimus from his current place on the ground. "Excuse me! With this so called "All-Spark" now destroyed, why hasn't the enemy left the planet like you thought they would?"

Storm sighed, rolling her eyes from underneath her mask before proceeding to narrow them down at the liaison. She had known that the man would try to involve himself in their conversation somehow and Storm knew that whatever else the man would say, it would most likely only serve to anger her further.

Lennox turned from Galloway to face the camera behind him, proceeding to explain the the General whom it was he'd just heard add in their much un-needed questions. "Director Galloway, our national security advisor. The president appointed him liaison."

Storm did not miss how Lennox had rolled his eye's upon mention of the man being appointed liaison. She snickered to herself, watching as the NEST General returned the man's displeasure though well-hidden to those less perceptive. "Well, I guess I didn't get that memo."

The expression on Director Galloway's face was priceless. He appeared offended, angered by the fact that one of the most important people in operation of NEST didn't know who he was. Or so he claimed, at least.

Galloway walked over to the metal platform, proceeding to climb it's ladder and up onto it's surface. The man began to forcefully move soldiers out of his was as he walked towards the camera. It seemed the man was determined to make himself the center of everyone's attention, desiring his spot in the limelight that he so thought he deserved. "Forgive the interruption, General. After all the damage in Shanghai, the President is hard-pressed to say the job's getting done."

Storm once again rolled her eyes to Galloway, rolling her head in tandem as she did so. She was becoming very tired of the man and fast.

Galloway continued to spew nonsense from his oral cavity much to the displeasure of Storm as he pointed up at Optimus. "Now, under the classified Alien/Human Cooperation Act, you agreed to share your intel with us, but not your advancements in weaponry."

Optimus crossed his arms over his chest, mimicking Storm's current stance. He looked over towards the Forerunner momentarily before turning his attention back to Galloway, responding to the man's statements. "We have witnessed your human capacity for war. It would absoulutely do more harm than good."

Galloway scoffed rudely in response to what Optimus had said. "But who are you to judge what's best for us?"

Storm stepped in, answering Galloway's question in Optimus' stead. "Optimus may not be, but I am. It is my duty as overseer to The Mantle of Guardianship for all life. I am to assist in helping sentient races to thrive as my ancestors intended, intercepting any situation that could cause the self-initiated destruction."

Lennox agreed with Storm, stepping up to defend what she'd said in front of the General. "With all due respect, sir. We've been fighting side-by-side in the field for two years."

Unexpectedly, Epps stepped in as well, backing up his best friend and Major from his place on the ground in defense of the Forerunner female. "We've shed blood, sweat, and precious metal together."

Galloway was furious, attempting to use his higher status to intimidate Epps. "Soldier, you're paid to shoot, not talk."

Epps simply turned around, rubbing at his forehead in exasperation as he mumbled lowly under his breath. "Don't tempt me."

Storm couldn't contain herself upon hearing what the african-american male had all but whispered. She barked out a short laugh, earning her the attention of Galloway and Optimus. However, she ignored the angry looks from Galloway, shrugging her shoulders non-chalantly to a softly smiling Optimus.

Galloway pointed to Storm, speaking to her with a condescending tone. "If you are supposedly the one in charge of what's best for us, then why won't you share your advancements in technology? Your technology is, as you've previously stated, far more advanced than that of Cybertronian technology. And frankly, we are heavily outmatched and in desperate need of the extra firepower."

Storm scowled at the liaison from beneath her mask as she responded to his question. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Director. The human species as a whole is capable of great compassion, but also of great violence. I have been witness to this many times in my prolonged existence. I will not hand over my technology to your species for the simple fact that if it fell into the wrong hands, you would see the entirety of your civilization wiped out in a matter of days."

Galloway was seething with anger, the expression on his face giving away his inner turmoil to everyone in the hangar, including Storm. The liaison turned, directing his anger back towards an undeserving Optimus. "What about the newest members of your team? I understand they arrived here after you sent a message into space. An _open_ invitation, might I add, to come to Earth. An invitation vetted by _no one_ at the White House."

The NEST General stopped Galloway in his tracks, attempting to de-escelate the tension-filled situation slowly progressing before him. "Let me stop you right there, Mr. Galloway. It was vetted right here. And in my experience, the judgement of both Major Lennox and his team has always been above reproach."

Galloway responded to the NEST General with pride, a smirk plastered on his face. "Well, be that as it may, General. It is the position of the President that wen our national security is at stake, _no one_ is above reproach."

Galloway looked around the hangar to everyone, continuing to speak once he was sure he had everyone's un-divided attention. "Now, what do we know so far? We know that the enemy leader, classified NBE-One, aka Megatron, is rusting at the bottom of the Laurentian Abyss, surrounded by SOSUS detection nets and a full-time submarine surveillance. We also know that the _only_ remaining piece of your alien All-Spark is locked in an electromagnetic vault here in one of the most secure naval bases in the world. And since no one can seem to tell me what the enemy is after, well, there's only one clear conclusion!"

Galloway turned around, gesturing to Optimus with both hands. "You! The Autobots! They are here to hunt _you_! What is there to hunt for on Earth besides that? "The Fallen shall rise again"? It sounds to me like something is coming."

Storm was quickly losing her patience. It was taking all the self-restraint she possessed within her to not lose control and assault Galloway, physically and verbally.

Galloway continued to gesture towards Optimus, his voice filled with contempt as he continued to speak. "So, let me ask you this. If we ultimately conclude that our national security is best served by denying you further asylum on our planet, will you leave peacefully?"

What Galloway had said was the last straw for Storm. She stepped forward, charging towards the liaison with purpose, a deadly aura eminating from the Forerunner female.

Optimus could see this. He picked up the small woman with haste and held her close to his spark.

He looked down to Storm whom was within his hold, speaking to her calmly. "Easy, Tempest."

Storm wished to fight back and protest, but the slow hum of Optimus' spark was lulling her into a sense of tranquility beyond her control.

Once she was calm, Optimus looked up from Storm to Galloway in order to answer his question. The man was looking at both he and Storm with suspicion, no doubt wondering as to the relationship they shared though it was none of his concern. "Freedom is your right. If you make that request, we will honor it. But before your President decides, please ask him this. What if we leave and you are wrong?"

Not long after this was said, the call to the Pentagon was ended with Lennox and Epps escorting Galloway out onto the tarmac towards the helicopter the man had arrived in. Storm was thankful for this. She was happy that the overbearing man would be leaving back from whence he came.

Storm looked up at Optimus and was surprisingly met with his gaze, the Autobot leader already looking at her as he spoke to her with concern. "Are you alright, Tempest?"

Storm shook her head, willing back the pieces of her protective mask as she sighed. "No. I'm not. I have throughly had it with Galloway and I'm not sure how much more disrespect I can take from the man nor will I sit back and let him disrespect you like that anymore, Prime. I mean, he literally just asked you if you'd leave Earth willingly if prompted to do so!"

Optimus began to stroke the hood of Storm's personal armor, attempting to calm her rising anger as he responded to her. "I understand, Tempest. Your anger is appropriately placed. But if the human leaders ask us to leave, then we must do so for this is not our planet."

Storm was angry that Optimus was so willing to lay back and accept what was being forced upon him and the Autobots. They deserved a home just as much as anyone else and if the humans wouldn't supply this for them, then Storm would.

She reached up, laying an armored hand on Optimus' cheek plating as she spoke to him, smiling up at him as she did so. "Optimus, if the humans exile you from Earth, then I offer you my home world for permanent asylum. If the Decepticons are truly hunting you as Galloway has implied, though I highly doubt it, they will never be able to reach reach Requiem. I cloaked the planet long ago, making it virtually undetectable to navigation systems of any kind and even if the Decepticons did somehow manage to find Requiem, my Guardians wouldn't allow them to step foot on it's surface."

Optimus returned Storm's smile, continuing to stroke the hood of her armor as he responded to her generous offer. "Thank you, Tempest. It warms my spark knowing that you would offer your home world to us as sanctuary with such selflessness."

Storm filled with happiness upon hearing the hopeful tone of Optimus' response though she wished it did not have to be this way, that Galloway would have never even proposed such an idea as exiling the Autobots. That was when an idea crossed through her mind.

She smirked up at Optimus, amusement resonating in her voice as she spoke to him. "You know, all else fails we could just get Ironhide to deal with Galloway. He offered to exterminate Sam's "rodent infestation" for him years ago. Maybe he'd do the same for me. Galloway is quickly becoming an _infestation_ that I don't have the lack of moral consciousness to exterminate myself. Also...I kind of can't given my duty to The Mantle."

Optimus chuckled to the small Forerunner over her obviously joking suggestion as he walked out of the Autobot hangar with Storm held closely to his chest. He knew that Storm would never harm a human without proper reasoning to do so first.

Storm took notice as Optimus walked that the sun was beginning to set on the horizon. She wouldn't admit it, but she was exhausted. She hadn't slept since they had left late yesterday to Shanghai in an effort to intercept Demolisher. Storm was just thankful that she could function longer on less sleep than what humans required to function.

She was silent as Optimus walked over to the normal place in which she and Optimus would watch the stars every night, lost to her own thoughts. The Autobot leader used the large hand cupping Storm to remove her from over his chest, setting her down gently atop of the hangar so that she could sit and watch the sunset with him.

Storm happily obliged, sitting down atop the hangar's surface before proceeding to kick her legs back and forth in a lackadaisical fashion off the edge of the roof.

Once in close enough proximity, she slowly made her way over towards Optimus, laying her head on his shouder as she spoke to him softly with a question. "So, are you ready to take Sam to college with me tomorrow?"

Optimus chuckled due to Storm's excited tone, ignoring the aggressive fluctuations of his spark due to her close proximity and it's desire for claim as he answered her. "Of course, Tempest."

Storm smirked. "Good. Because I'm going to embarrass the hell out of him every chance I get and you're going to witness every moment of it."

Optimus laughed in response to her claims of embarrassing Sam and Storm sat up, smiling to him with fondness as she thought silently. Tomorrow was going to be a good day and she anticipated it greatly.

* * *

 **I am SUPER excited for the next chapter of my story.**

 **This chapter would have been done sooner if it wasn't for my dog, Mojo, practically sitting on my face near the end while I was trying to write. He's only two-ish pounds so that's not a big deal but him trying to play-bite my face while doing so is, haha.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **I am back with another chapter!**

 **However, I've decided that for now I'm only going to be uploading one chapter a week to preserve my own sanity as everytime I make plans to upload two life is just like "no, not happening". I'm hoping to keep my current stress at a minimum in doing this.**

 **Now, I've gotten a few questions from reviewers I figured I'd answer here.**

 **The first question I was received was from "johnd876" who asked in terms of their appeareance, who would I have playing the Autobots holoforms and honestly, I'm not too sure. I kind of just give minor details as to what I'd think they look like and let everyone else create their own mental image of them to their preference. I try not to go into too much detail other than the basics for that reason.**

 **This person also asked me what Storm looks like. As egotistical and embarrassing as it is to admit, I imagined her with my own physical appearance in certain aspects. I would like to retain my anonymity as to what I look like in "real life" though I will say that we share similar features in that our facial features and skull structure are smaller. We share the same height and weight and probably the most surprising, my hair is as long as Storm's is written to be. I haven't cut it since I was very young and it drapes down to my mid-thigh.**

 **I chose to have her hair this long because the length of my own hair surprises people that I meet and I often receive comments of how hair as long as mine isn't seen a lot so I figured it would be something that would seperate her from everyone else (namely the humans) which would add to her seeming "alien".**

 **In response to Greatatthinkingbadatwriting's suggestion, Storm will be going to meet Sam at his college with Mikaela though under important circumstances and she will throw-down with Alice. However, I do like the idea of her informing Optimus of the situation and thus saving Sam. This is something that I didn't do in my last attempt at this story and in hindsight I recognize to be a very big plothole on my part.**

 **Also, Storm will be there when Optimus is killed. It's going to be...very emotional.**

* * *

Storm was slowly woken from the calm embrace of sleep to the sounds of light knocking at the door to her quarter. She rolled over to the side of her bed, climbing out of it as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes whilst walking over to her door.

She opened it, slightly surprised to see that Optimus was standing before her in his holoform. She looked to him with confusion, her eyes half-lidded with the remains of sleep as he spoke to her. "Good morining, Tempest. It is almost time for us to depart to Sam's residence."

All former confusion from Storm was gone in an instant upon hearing what Optimus had said. Her eyes went wide, lighting up with the un-mistakable emotion of excitement. She had almost forgoten in her exhausted, sleep-laden state that today was the day in which she would escort Sam off to college.

Storm turned around in her spot without saying a word, jogging over to her dresser with a newfound energy that caused Optimus to chuckle.

The Autobot leader walked into the Forerunner's quarters as Storm took her hair down from it's customary bun, running a human-made hairbrush through her long, mid-thigh length hair.

Optimus couldn't help but stare, admiring the long strands of organic filaments coming from her scalp. It was something foreign to him as Cybertronians did not possess such a strange attribute. Not in the way that human's possessed, at least. However, it was beautiful to him nonetheless.

Her significantly longer than average hair was intriguing to him, making the small female appear elegant yet fierce. It complemented her.

He wanted nothing more in that moment that to run the fingers of his holoform through the mass of long, black filaments to see if it was just as soft as it appeared to be though he resisted the urge. He did not wish to alarm Storm with his actions.

Once Storm had finished brushing her hair, Optimus fully expected for her to place it back into a bun though she didn't. She simply turned around to face him as she spoke, leaving her long locks down to cascade around her shoulders and down her chest as she activated the cloaking response of her combat skin to appear, in all aspects, human. "I'm ready. Just let me say good-bye to Eternal. I need to let him know that I'm leaving."

Optimus nodded to Storm in affirmation. "The plane is ready for our departure so we may leave immediately after if you choose to do so."

Storm walked towards Optimus, smirking at him as she walked past him on the path out of her quarters. "Perfect. Let's get this show on the road, Prime. I'm ready to torture Sam for a few hours."

Optimus chuckled as he turned to follow after Storm, shutting the door to her quarters before deactivating his holoform in a flurry of blue, electricity charged particles.

Storm quickly said her good-bye's to The Warden, her anticipation simply too much to hide. The Promethean titan responded to his much smaller leader, asking her to enjoy herself and if for any reason she needed him, he would immediately respond to her summons.

Storm simply smiled in response to The Warden before turning away from him to find Optimus , the action speaking everything she was thinking without the need for words. Eternal was her ally and confidant. But most importantly, her friend. He was worried for her as he always was, and her response was a silent reassurance for him.

Once Storm found Optimus, she was surprised to see that he was already waiting for her in his alt-mode outside of the military aircraft which would escort them to the closest base near Sam's home.

She walked into the plane, Optimus following just behind her at a slowed before pulling in to the large expanse that was the inside of the aircraft. Soon after, the large door to the back of the plane shut behind the pair, slowly making it's way down the runway before ascending into the sky with the leaders of their respective alien factions.

...

Many hours later, the military aircraft carrying both Optimus and Storm landed at the closest military base to Sam's home which was a very short distance away. Thankfully for Storm, she could avoid being stared at by the soldiers on base due to her not currently sporting her true, alien appearence with Optimus appearing to be an ordinary human vehicle.

The Autobot leader had even activated his holoform in advance to avoid suspicion. The way both he and Storm perceived it, the less humans that know of their existence, the better. Their true identity was a "need to know basis" she'd often heard Lennox say, and these soldiers didn't have a reason to know their alien identity.

Storm proceeded to walk out of the aircraft and once at a safe distance, Optimus pulled out, stopping just behind her. She walked around to the passenger side of his alt-mode, climbing in to the best of her ability. It was slightly challenging for her to enter his truck cab given her lack of significant height.

Optimus laughed at her struggle, causing Storm to narrow her eyes at the Autobot leader playfully. "Yeah, yeah. Make fun of the vertically challenged. I see how it is, Prime."

Storm's comment and expression only served to make the regal leader laugh harder as she climbed into his alt-mode and shut the heavy passenger-side door behind her. She simply sat back into the seat with a disgruntled look on her face as she secured her seatbelt over her.

Optimus began to pull off towards the exit of the military base, still obviously amused by the Forerunner's former predicament much to the displeasure of Storm. She looked over towards the Autobot leader, trying to appear angry though his emotions were highly contagious, a light smile cracking on her face. "I'm supposed to be making fun of Sam today, not you making fun of me."

Optimus took on an air of seriousness, breathing in a deep breath of air despite his lack of organic lungs before responding to Storm. "My apologies, Tempest. I couldn't help myself."

Storm simply smirked at Optimus, crossing her arms over her chest as she did so. ""Go ahead, keep laughing at me. I'll give you the same treatment Sideswipe gave Jolt in his sleep and rewire your vocal systems to make you sound like a femme."

Optimus shook his head in response to the Forerunner, knowing well not to challenge her as she would make good on her implied threat. He chuckled lightly as he glanced over at her, thinking to himself silently that he anticipated the rest of this day.

It was in that moment that Optimus was lost to his thoughts that they pulled into the familiar sights of Sam's driveway and it was hard to miss the anticipation that Storm was very visibly displaying. She was excited to see her friend for the first time in two years.

Storm could barely contain hersef nor sit still in her seat and it made Optimus' spark swell with happiness to see the small Forerunner he had become so fond of this excited. He knew that the constant intercepting of rogue Decepticons and deaing with the human leaders had wore down on her over the two years they had spent together. Storm deserved this break greatly, even if only for a few hours.

Optimus shut off his engine as Storm franticaly wrestled with her seatbelt as she stared down Sam's home. The anticipation was too much, causing her hands to shake terribly and thus making them useless.

She finally detached her seatbelt and threw Optimus' passenger side door open with haste, not even bothering to shut the door behind her as she ran off towards Sam home earning her an un-heard chuckle from the Autobot leader.

Storm grabbed onto the handle of the door to Sam's home roughly, throwing it open whist looking around his home in a desperate effort to find her friend.

Sam came around the corner upon hearing his front door almost being ripped from it's hinges by the alien female. Storm's eyes lit up as soon as they landed on Sam. She ran forward. wrapping Sam in a rib crushing hug and despite the pain, he embraced her in return.

Optimus had walked in at that moment, smiling to himself over the sight of Storm and Sam embracing each other tightly. The Forerunner had waited so long for this and for the second time that day, the Autobot leader felt his spark fill with emotions upon seeing her so happy.

That was when the trio heard a distinct sound, drawing their collective attention to the stairs behind them. Judy was standing there, crying as she held up a pair of small, white shoes for Sam and subsequently everyone else to see as she spoke. "Look what I found. It's your little baby booties."

Storm snickered to herself at what Judy had said as Sam moved away from her, Optimus coming to stand at her side as Ron emerged from the upper floor of the home carrying multiple bags. This caused Storm to speak up with a question. "Where are you going with all of those bags, Ron?"

Ron looked over to Storm, not having seen her at first upon emerging from the upper floor. "Hey, Stormy. I'm glad to see you made it. To answer your question though, Judy and I are going on a month-long trip to Paris now that we can finally get rid of Sam."

Storm barked out a laugh whilst Judy began to cry hyterically, wrapping her arms around Sam and thus smothering him in the process. "My litte baby-bootie boy. You can't go."

Sam looked over to Ron as he manueverd in his mother's grasp, pointing to the woman with a free hand as he spoke with heavy sarcasm. "You see this, Dad? This is how you're supposed to react when the fruit of your loins goes out into the cruel world to fend for himself, okay?"

Ron scoffed in response to what Sam had said, not looking at him as he walked towards the front door with his many bags in hand. "Yeah, my heart bleeds for you, pal. College, bummer. Frankie, Mojo, out! Come on, Sam, we're on a schedule."

Sam narrowed his eyes, yelling out of the home and open front door in response to his father. "Slow down, Dad! Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of me?"

The boy hand begun to follow after his father but was stopped in his tracks by Judy grabbing him by the face. The woman continued to cry as she spoke and Storm's heart broke for her. She couldn't even begin to imagine how hard this must be for Judy. "You have to come home for every holiday, not just big one's. You have to come home for Halloween."

Sam looked to his mother, a guilty expression plastering itself on his face as well as a guilty inflection lacing his voice. "Well, I can't come home for Halloween, Mom."

Judy was obviously not happy with Sam's answer. She responded to him with furthered sadness, wiping the tears from her eyes as she did so. "Well, then we'll come to you. We'll dress up and be in costumes."

Sam vehemently shook his head in response to this. He did not want his parents embrassing him at his new college. "No, Mom. You can't do that."

Judy was about to protest Sam when Ron directed his attention to the woman. "Would you let the kid breath for crying out loud? Come on. Go pack. There's no way you're packed for a month-long trip."

Judy reluctantly did as her husband had asked, walking up the stairs to the second floor of their home as Ron followed behind her, the older man enacting a rather intimate gesture upon the woman's backside as he spoke. "Come on, chop, chop! Let's go. March, young lady."

Storm groaned out in disgust as did Sam before speaking. She really _didn't_ need to see what had just happened. "I'm watching what you're doing, Dad. This is not a rap video. That was a realy creepy move just now."

Ron shrugged his shoulders. "It's just, like, a coach thing."

Sam ignored his father's less than truthful response and his father proceeded to place his hands on the boy's shoulders, speaking to him with seriousness. "Look. You know, your mother and I are really proud of you. You're the first Witwicky ever to go to college."

Judy must have somehow heard the pair's conversation from upstairs, yelling down to them in frustration. "Now I'm crying again! This sucks!"

Storm chuckled softly as Sam yelled into the upper-level of his home to comfort his mother. "Your going to be okay, Ma."

Ron attempted to reassure Sam as the boy was obviously feeling guilty for him being the cause of his mother's torment. "It's just going to be hard for her to accept that her boy is all grown up you know, going out to handle the world on his-"

Ron was interuppted by the suspicious sounds of growling, directing everyone's attention towards the living room as the man yelled. "Mojo, no dominating Frankie! Get the hell off the couch, you filthy beasts!"

Ron's yelling at the two small animals caused them to retreat out of the still open front door and into Sam's yard for safety. The older man used this moment to tease Sam, smirking to the boy as he spoke. "You'll see a lot of that in college, too."

The older man's comments caused Storm to belt out in un-restrained laughter alongside the shocked and disgusted expression that plastered themselves on Sam's face. She began laughing so hard that she almost fell, leaning against Optimus' holoform for support.

Her actions cause the Autobot leader to freeze in surprise before he gently placed his hands on the woman's shoulders, smiling down at her softly as his spark thrummed wildly due to her close contact.

As she recovered from her laughing fit, Storm watched Sam follow his father out of their home. Ron proceeded to start up a conversation once the pair we're outside and thanks to Storm's advanced hearing, she heard it all. The older man was speaking of Mikaela, telling Sam that there were "plenty of fish in the sea" and he might find that Mikaela wasn't what he wanted once being away from her.

However, Sam was adamament, telling his father that this wouldn't be the case as he was a "one-woman kind of guy". Storm became slighty angered when Ron continued in his conversation as she knew that Sam was not that kind of person though she said nothing. She simply listened as the portly man agreed with Sam that Mikaela was a good person, but that she and Sam needed to give each other room to grow as they were no different than any other couple.

Sam highly disagreed with this. He and Mikaela had discovered and alien race together. This was not something that was normal for "average couples".

As Sam began to voice these points, his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket to check the caller ID and smirked, holding up his phone for Ron to see who it was. It was Mikaela.

He rubbed it in his father's face though the man shrugged it off as he watched Sam walk back into the home. The chestnut-haired boy walked past Storm towards the stairs and the Forerunner excused herself from Optimus' company to follow after him up to what she presumed would be his room.

She had been right. However, Storm felt a pang of worry go through her as she walked behind Sam. Mikaela was attempting to break up with Sam. For what reason, Storm didn't really know. Her friend managed to convince the onyx-haired female otherwise by the time he'd reached his room, however. It seemed Mikaela gave in easily to Sam and his charm.

The chestnut-haired boy proceeded to open the door to his room as he told Mikaela that he had gotten them a long-distance relationship kit which included a webcam so that the pair could see each other whenever they like. He also began to elaborate that he had bought her other items, all of which could not be named on the phone due to their intimate nature.

Upon hearing this, Storm cringed, sticking her tongue out in a disgusted manner whilst making exaggerated gagging noises drawing Sam's attention to her before causing him to laugh. Storm was triumphant, successful in her attempts to make her friend laugh.

She watched Sam as he walked over to his closet, pulling out the shirt he had worn in the battle of Mission City before asking Mikaela over the phone if she wished to keep it for "sentimental value".

Storm did not share in this proposed sentiment. Seeing the article of clothing caused her to suck in a sharp breath, flooding her mind with not-so-pleasent memories of the events as she stared down the torn and mostly shredded item. She cursed her Ancilla in this moment for allowing her the ability to have picture perfect memory as some things felt better left forgotten.

She continued to watch as Sam walked over to his wooden desk, holding the tattered remains of his clothing as he continued to speak to Mikaela. Only when the pair began to speak of more innapropriate things did Storm turn away her gaze, leaning over to pick up some of the many accumulated boxes within his room to escort them outside when she heard the distinct sounds of something metal hitting the floor.

Storm stood up, abandoning the boxes as she watched on in a mixture of astonishment and confusion, glued to her spot. Sam was un-mistakably holding a shard of the All-Spark between two of his fingers. How? Storm wondered. She had been there when the All-Spark was destroyed, aided in the destruction of the Cybertronian relic. She had watched the pieces burn themselves into Megatron's spark leaving nothing left aside from what Optimus had possessed...or so she'd thought. The proof of the All-Spark's now miniscule existence was before her in all it's truth.

Before Storm could voice any of these thoughts, a loud, zapping noise resounded throughout Sam's room and the chestnut-haired boy shook his hand in pain, almost as if he had been burnt by the shard.

The shard was once again dropped to the ground and it began to burn a hole through the wooden floor's of Sam's room whilst sparking wildly. This caused him to scream downstairs, alerting everyone to a fire as he ran down the hallway and into an adjacent storage closet. He procured an emergency fire extinguisher before running back into his room, shutting his door behind him to contain the blaze.

Sam sprayed the floor generously in the hopes of stopping it from being burnt any further. For added containment of the fire, Sam grabbed a half-full water bottle from off of his desk, emptying it's contents onto the floor.

Both Storm and Sam breathed out a sigh of relief once the fire was contained thougn at the price of the boy having a hole all the way through the flooring of his room, All-Spark shard nowhere to be seen. It must have fallen through the floor and into the kitchen given the surprisingly large hole and it's absence, Storm thought silently.

It seemed Sam had the same thoughts. He walked over to door of his room, opening it quickly due to the importance of the situation. However, what neither of them had expected was what would be waiting for them on the otherside of the door. Four mini-cons that had obviously been created by the All-Spark shard at some point.

Storm immediately phased on her personal armor in response, abandoning her human appearance whilst she phased in two Forerunner bolt-shot's. She shouted out to Sam from beneath her mask as she began firing on the mini-bot's with much stress. "Out the balcony window, now!"

Her best friend didn't need to be told twice. He ran over to his window, opening it and jumping out onto the balcony. Sam screamed in terror as he leapt from the balcony and hid behind the bird bath in his yard with Ron.

Storm desperately tried to contain the situation as Optimus attempted to protect Sam and Ron, shielding them with his holoform from the haphazardly scattered bullets that were soaring through the air.

However, in all the chaos, two mini-con's had managed to slip by her and out of the window to follow after Sam on the balcony. Sam did not miss this, recognizing instantaneously that this situation was quickly getting out of control and one that Storm could not contain alone.

Sam shouted out for Bumblebee so that the Autobot scout could assist Storm and the yellow Cybertonian did as asked, barreling out of the garage with haste before transforming up to his bi-pedal mode.

He took down the mini-con's with ease although almost shooting out the room Storm was in. She barely had enough time to dodge out into the hallway to evade the blast and if it wasn't for Sam's multitude of windows facing front yard, she doubted she would have spotted the impending danger at all.

Storm ignored her pain as she stood up, the mini-con's now dead with Bumbebee's assistance. For something so small they sure put up a hell of a challenging fight.

She phased away her personal armor so as to avoid blowing her cover of being alien as she ran down the stairs of Sam's home and into the front yard. It was trashed. Patches of grass were torn out of the ground and had been slung to all corners of the property, the bird bath in their yard destroyed along with significant portions of the home. However, no one was hurt and this was all Storm could ask for.

Ron began to yell about calling th police as Sam began yelling at Bumblebee. Storm threw her hands up in the air with exasperation that was caused by Sam as members of the human police force and fire department pulled into the yard. They responded fast though when hearing eardrum shattering explosions, anyone would.

Optimus quickly approached Storm whom was distracted, grabbing her gently by the shoulders as he visually inspected her for injury's with obvious worry. "Are you alright, Tempest? Are you harmed?"

Storm quickly turned to face Optimus upon feeling his touch and hearing his voice. She nodded to him in reassurance that she was fine as she reluctantly removed his hands from her shoulders and whispered to him lowly. "Yes, Optimus. I'm fine. But we have a _very_ serious situation on our hands that I can't talk to you about in civilian presence. I'll tell you everything back at NEST, okay? Just trust me."

Though Optimus was apprehensive to do so, he agreed, watching as Storm walked away from him and into Sam's home where she'd seen her friend retreat to after presumably berating Bumblebee for his actions which angered Storm.

She found Sam in the kitchen, the chestnut-haired boy avoiding a firefighter whom was making his way out of the residence. Once the man had left, Sam grabbed a pair of pliars from a kitchen drawer, using them to pick up the shard of the All-Spark which lay conveniently atop the island in the center of his kitchen before placing it into a glass tube which Storm was questioning as to where he had gotten it.

Storm followed her friend as he walked outside with haste to Mikaela whom had just arrived. The onyx-haired female was rightfully curious and concerned as to why Sam's home and yard were in their current state though Sam ignored her questions, pushing the shard into Storm's hands as he spoke. "Stormy, I need you to take this. It'll be safer in your hands."

Storm vehemently disagreed, speaking to Sam in hushed whispers due to the surrounding human presence. "No. It won't be safe with me, Sam. I've intercepted _six_ rogue Decepticons in eight months all over Earth with the Autobots. Something serious is going on and I don't trust myself to keep the shard safe nor will I hand over another shard to the humans. I didn't even want for them to have one shard, let alone two."

With Storm's refusal, Sam didn't know what to do, but he only had one option left. He handed the shard off to Mikaela, hoping that she woudn't refuse him as well. "Listen, I neeed you to take this cube sliver and put it in your purse. Alright?"

Mikaela didn't say no to what was asked of her. She took the glass container that held the shard and placed it hastily within her purse and not a moment too soon as Judy had begun to walk over. The older woman asked to have a word with Sam before proceeding to complain of the "mess" Bumblebee had made.

Storm became upset due to what Judy had said. It wasn't Bumblebee's fault for doing as Sam had asked of him. Though she knew that Judy was only saying these things out of anger, it still hurt her deeply to hear those words directed towards the Autobot scout.

Storm followed after Sam with Mikaela opting to stay where she was as he walked into the garage, the chestnut-haired boy speaking to yellow scout with seriousness. "Bee, I want to talk to you about the college thing, okay?"

Bumblebee visibly perked up, playing music through his radio that spoke of being excited as he snapped his metallic fingers to the beat whist dancing.

Sam wished to laugh, but knew what he was about to say would remove all happiness from those around him. He spoke up, giving the Autobot scout the answer he knew he wouldn't want to hear despite his apprehension to do so. "Hey, I'm not taking you with me."

Bumblebee's heightened excitement was immediatey shattered upon hearing what Sam had said. The yellow scout began to emit whirring noises that broke Storm's heart and it seemed Sam felt the same as he looked up to Bumblebee with guilt. "I meant to tell you about this earlier. It's just that, you know...here's the thing. Freshman aren't allowed to have cars. You know if it was up to me, I'd take you with me, but it's not, Bee."

Bumblebee refused to accept Sam's explanation. He began to simiulate crying in the best way he could as he attempted to push Sam away, making Sam feel even more guilty. "Look. You're an Autobot. You shouldn't be living in my garage. I mean, you're suffocating in here.. You deserve better than this."

In some aspects, Storm agreed with Sam, but the Autobot scout _wanted_ to stay with Sam. And his wishes were more important than what anyone "thought" he deserved.

Sam placed an open palm on Bumblebee's face, trying to get the scout to look at him as he spoke. "Can you just look at me, please? This is hard enough, man. Don't make it harder. The guardian thing is done, okay? You did your job. I'm safe now. You need to go be with Storm and Optimus Prime back at NEST."

Sam continued in his attempts to try and console Bumblebee though they fell on deaf audio receptors as the bot continued to cry.

Storm walked over to Bumblebee, laying a hand on his leg plating before proceeding to trace gentle circles in an effort to calm him whilst Sam continued to speak. "I just want to be normal, Bee. That's why I'm going to college, and I can't do that with you. It's not the last time I'm going too see you, Bee. You'll always be my first car."

Storm felt slightly insulted upon hearing this though she understood Sam's point of view. He desired to feel normal, something he couldn't experience being surrounded by aliens though she said nothing of her feelings.

Storm apologized to Bumblebee for Sam's words before following after her friend. What greeted her upon her exit was un-expected. Mikaela was standing outside of the garage in a clean, flowing white dress, holding a bouqet of purple flowers she had taken from Judy's garden, no doubt for Sam.

Storm opted to leave the pair alone to enjoy their last intimate moment together before they left for Sam's college. She walked over to Optimus, standing at the driver's side of his alt-mode along with his holoform. The two watched on as Sam and Mikaela shared their intimate embrace.

Seeing this caused an unknown emotion to shoot throught Storm and her face to heat up. She wondered if Optimus would one day let her embrace him like that, to see if his holoform was just as soft and warm as it had been the day she'd inadvertantly assualted him back at NEST.

She looked up to face Optimus, surprised to see that he was already looking at her. It made her heart flutter in her chest in an unfamiliar way...that was until she had the grandest of ideas pass through her mind upon seeing Sam kiss Mikaela from her peripheral vision.

She smirked up at Optimus, one eyebrow raised payfully as she spoke. "Watch _this_."

Optimus did as the Forerunner beside him had demanded, watching her intently as she turned her head towards Sam and Mikaela, cupping a hand around each side of her mouth as she yelled. "You're not a face-hugger, Sam! You can let go of Mikaela's face anytime you want!"

Her actions earned her the yelling of Sam due to her "interrupting their moment" though she didn't appear phased. In fact, she appeared proud, smiling up at the Autobot leader evilly as she wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

Optimus chuckled to Storm as he stared down at her. Despite their earlier situation, Optimus was happy and hopeful for the rest of the day, silently praying to Primus that nothing else would ruin it for them.

* * *

 **Ugh. Finally I got this chapter done.**

 **It took A LOT longer than I'd wanted to finish due to me adding a decent amount of stuff that wasn't in my previous rendition of this chapter, but it's alright.**

 **Now that this is finished, the Festival of The Lost started today on Destiny so I'm probably going to go play some of that as well as some Assassin's Creed Odyssey to wind down because I have a massive headache. (after I eat, of course.)**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	30. Chapter 30

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **I am back and let me just say, I have been looking forward to writing this chapter LITERALLY since last week.**

 **It was one of the most fun for me to write during my original attempt at this story and given how I've grown with my writing (at least I hope/believe I have) it should be that much better.**

 **I'm not going to waste anymore time, though. Let's get into this chapter!**

 **(P.S : Chapter ideas are always welcomed whether it be for Revenge of The Fallen since we're already there, future Transformers movie installments, or just filler chapters for Storm and the Autobots.)**

* * *

Storm was filled with anticipation, the moment she'd long been waiting for finally here. It took them longer than she would have liked to arrive at Sam's college, but it was worth it to see the excited expression on her friend's face.

Though she didn't say it, Storm was proud of Sam. This was an exciting as well as an important achievement for humans whom were coming of what could be considered legal age by their government.

Storm glanced around at her surroundings as Optimus exited from his alt-mode with his holoform, following behind Storm once she walked over to Sam's side.

She watched as Judy looked around her with excitement, speaking out with the same emotion she was currently displaying as she stood in front of her vehicle. "Oh my gosh! Look at this place! I feel smarter already, Ron. Can you smell it?"

Ron scoffed out a laugh due to his wife's question, responding to her with joking sarcasm. "Yeah, it smells ike fourty-thousand dollars a year."

Storm could only laugh at Sam's parents as they playfully bickered with each other, the pair eventually telling Sam to go on ahead of them to check out his dorm and that they would grab his packed things.

The chestnut-haired boy did as his parents had suggested of him whilst Storm grabbed two of his packed boxes from the back of his parents vehicle, stacking them on top of each other with Optimus following her example. The Autobot leader picked up two boxes, following after Storm with Ron now in tow holding boxes of his own.

She walked towards where she had seen Sam disappear to inside of a building, only being stopped in her tracks by the sounds of clattering and the sounds of wind being knocked from a person's lungs. She turned around to find the source of the sound and she found it. Ron had fallen, tripping over a rock that he couldn't see due to the stack of boxes he had been holding.

Storm had begun to set down her boxes to help Ron but was stopped by Optimus, the Autobot leader telling her with a smile to continue on ahead and that he would help Sam's father and follow after her shortly.

She nodded in affirmation to Optimus and returned his smile, turning back around before walking ip a short set of stairs and into the building behind her.

Storm walked through the hallway of the dorm slowly, peering into every room briefly in the hopes of finding Sam. She finally found him in a room that was closer to the end of the hall and invited herself in, speaking up to alert her friend of her presence. "Hey Sammy, I've got some of your-"

Storm was stopped mid-sentence by an unknown male peaking out from around Sam's form with an eyebrow raised questioningly in her direction due to her sudden interruption. She surmised that this male was Sam's roomate as it was common for human educational facilities to house people together in an effort to save space and accomodate more people.

She proceeded to set the boxes she held down onto the floor at her side as she eyed the human before her cautiously.

"Who is this lovely lady?" The human asked curiously, obviously wondering as to who Storm was.

Sam had begun to speak in order to answer the proposed question though Storm stopped him, answering the question for herself. "My name is Storm."

The unknown male looked her up and down before his eyes lit up in an unknown emotion. He side-stepped around Sam and approached her, taking one of her hands in his before placing his lips to the top of it gently as he winked at her. "An exotic name for a woman of exotic beauty. My name is Leonardo Spitz, but you can call me Leo for short."

Storm was surprised by the human's actions. However, she was more surprised by a loud, high-pitched noise and what sounded like grinding metal.

She turned her head around towards the direction of the noise to find Optimus standing in the door-way behind her. She took immediate notice that the normally blue optics of his holoform were a strange shade of white, his expression one that confused her. Anger.

Storm narrowed her eyes at Optimus in curiosity. Why did the Autobot leader appear so furious and why had his holoform emited such strange noises? She knew that is wasn't a normal sound for a holoform to be making.

She opened her mouth to ask Optimus what was wrong but was interrupted in doing so by the human male designated as "Leo". He was quickly becoming annoying. "So, Storm. Are you single?"

Storm immediately snapped her head towards Leo in response to what he had asked her. Was this human attempting to court her?

She looked down to her hand that was still held within Leo's with confusion before averting her eyes to his face. She narrowed her eyes at him briefly before turning her head back around to face Optimus. Her expression softened in response as she gazed at him, answering Leo's question truthfully. She wasn't interested in being courted by a human. "My apologies, Leo, but I'm not interested."

The Autobot leader's optics shifted back to their normal shade of blue upon hearing what Storm had said though his expression was very much still deadly. This confused her greatly.

Leo looked between the pair that had locked gazes and he now understood why Storm had been so quick to turn him down. He'd had no chance from the start.

Leo dropped Storm's hand, sighing heavily in defeat. "The pretty one's are always taken. Just my luck."

Sam laughed in the background, a smirk evident in his voice though Storm could not see his face from where she was looking towards Optimus. "I could have told you that. She can't seem to get her head out of Optimus' ass half of the time from what I've heard."

Storm snapped her head around to face Sam, a blush creeping along her face due to Sam's passive-aggressive teasing. "What the hell, Sam?"

The chestnut-haired boy laughed as Leo looked between he and Storm, a look of confusion on his face. "Optimus? What kind of name is that?"

Optimus didn't appear to be phased by the human and his semi-rude question and Storm shrugged her shoulders non-chalantly, giving Leo a quickly thought of response to cover up the accidental usage of Optimus' true name. "It's a nickname."

Leo seemed to accept her excuse. It didn't feel right for her to be lying to the human, but Storm couldn't disclose the truth as Leo was a civilian. If she did it could jeopradize not only her and NEST, but the Autobots as well.

She watched as Sam and Leo began to converse and it wasn't long before the formerly calm aura of the room was shattered by Leo due to him volunteering Sam to work for his "company" despite not having the boy's consent.

Storm once again became annoyed by the human, her expression giving this away. Leo had no right to be ordering Sam around, especially when they had only just met.

However, Leo didn't accept Sam telling him "no" as an answer. He ordered for Storm and Sam to follow him into a room adjacent to the one they had previously been in, Optimus seperating himself from the group despite his apprehension to do so in order to gather more of Sam's boxes and to find his surprisingly absent parents.

Upon her entrance, Storm looked around the room that was filled with various electronics, arms crossed over her chest as Leo spoke to an unknown pair of human males's before telling both her and Sam their names.

In her honest opinion, their designated names were rediculous. Whether they were birth-given or self-given, she did not know. But her opinion still stood.

She ignored Leo in order to walk over to the opposite side of the room as he attempted to inform both her and Sam that all of the computers they saw around them were used from his company, this "company" now exposed to be a simple website that was the human's obsessive hobby.

Strangled squealing soon emerged from the back of Storm's throat due to what she saw on a small table before her. It was a calendar with kittens on it, the small Earth mammal being one of her many weaknesses.

Storm's strange noise caused everyone in the room to briefly glance at her with confused expressions before returning back to what they had been doing previously prior to her sudden outburst.

She flipped through the pages of the calender, making various high-pitched noises at every new kitten on every new page. Little did she know Optimus had arrived back with more boxes just in time for him to witness this. He came to stand at her side, thoroughly amused by the noises she was making and her actions. That was until the pair began to hear shouting coming from the one of the humans with a strange name in the room. "Leo! We've got a brand new Shanghai video!"

Storm immediately perked up upon hearing this. She set down the calender she held with haste and proceeded to walk over towards the opposite side of the room where the multitude of computer monitors resided. She sucked in a sharp breath and her blood froze in her veins due to what she saw on the screens. It was indeed a video from Shanghai, and Storm recognized herself along with the Autobots in it.

She saw herself fly by on the screen in a flash of white past Sideswipe, earning comments from all the humans within the room aside from Sam as to how she was "definitely nothing from Earth", none of them knowing that they were right and the being they'd just seen in the video was standing right beside them.

Storm was panicked and rightfully so. Their existence had been compromised, the proof staring her in the face almost tauntingly.

Optimus walked up behind Storm and took one look at the screen, his face immediately betraying the same emotion she currently felt. Worry.

Leo and the other human male's desperately tried to upload the video they'd come into possession of onto the internet as fast as possible whilst Sam attempted to explain to the trio that the video was most likely fake, merely computer editing but to no avail. The three of them weren't convinced.

Storm hastily made her way out of the room with Optimus in tow as Sam continued to argue with Leo as to the legitimacy of the video. She grabbed the Autobot leader by the hand, leading him with her into the hallway so that they'd have a place to speak privately away from the conspiracy obsessed humans.

She turned to face Optimus, speaking to him in frantically hushed whispers. "So much for keeping it tight and not allowing the Shanghai op to get out into the public! Now everyone will know it wasn't a "toxic spill" as the Chinese government had reported!"

Optimus could see the panic Storm was currently experiencing in her body language. He raised his holoform's arms, resting his hands on her cheeks in the effort to calm and reassure her as he spoke lowly to her for fear of who might be listening around them. "I understand, Tempest. We will report this to Lennox immediately once we return to NEST. But for now, you should enjoy this day. We cannot change what has already happened."

Storm felt her body and face flush, looking down to the ground as she reluctantly removed the Autobot leader's hand from her face and not a moment too soon as Ron and Judy had approached them with boxes in the portly man's arms, walking by the pair and ignoring them in the rather intimate moment that they'd been sharing.

She took the Autobot leader gently by his right hand with her's, leading him with her back into Sam's dorm room now that she was calm.

Sam was introducing his parents to his new room-mate before directing his attention to a bag held within Judy's had, said bag sporting a green, leaf-like symbol he recognized all too well, unfortunately.

"What is that in your hand?" Sam asked his mother suspiciously though knowing deep down what it was.

Judy held up the bag for Sam to see, much too happily explaining to him how she had gotten it. "I got this at a bake sale for the enviornment some boys were having."

Sam rubbed his hand down his face in a mixture of exasperation and embarrassment, his previous fears being confirmed as his mother continued to speak. "It's one-hundred percent pure, Hawaiian green for the enviornment."

Sam attempted to snatch the bag from his mother in her clearly inebriated state but to no avail. "How many of these have you eaten? Drop it!"

Storm snickered to herself as Ron approached the woman, knowing exactly what it was Sam's mother was currently consuming simply by the smell emanating from it. The portly man came up behind his wife, attempting to take the bag of illegal goodies for her as he spoke though equally as un-sucessful as Sam had been. "They baked it with reefer in it, Judy!"

Judy was un-phased by the words of everyone around her. She turned in her spot, making her way out of the room in her elated state without a care in the world as she yelled, popping pieces of brownie into her mouth along the way. "Hey! It's my cheat day. I can eat all the freaking brownies I want!"

Storm laughed uncontrollably due to what Judy had said. This was going to be a hilarious situation, one she couldn't wait to see play out. Sam, on the other hand, was not so amused. He set off after his mother, pointing to hs father on his way out of the room. "I'm going to freak out! Please do something about this right now, Dad!"

Ron sighed heavily as he followed out behind Sam whilst Storm breathed in deeply to replace her lost oxygen. Once she had composed herself, she turned to face Optimus, an amused inflection lacing her voice. "We might as well go help them find Judy before she gets herself into trouble."

Optimus chuckled as followed after Storm in her search for Sam's mother, completely oblivious as to how she was staring down a petite, human female whom was wearing a blue dress with suspicion on her way out.

There was something that wasn't right about the look in female's eyes. They were void of emotion. Void of life, even. This was something that made Storm's skin crawl with an unknown emotion. It caused the hair on her arms to stand on end. She would keep a close eye on the suspicious woman whilst she was here with Sam, never trusting her for even a second.

* * *

 **Alright so, after much debate, I've decided to split this chapter into two parts.**

 **I've had severe writer's block with this chapter so I'd like to give myself some extra time to plan out the other half of this chapter and plus, my last attempt at this chapter ended with it being wayyyy too long for me personally.**

 **I hope you all don't mind too much, but it's at a point where this is literally frustrating me and is leaving me emotionally fatigued so I'm just going to give it a break and come back to it next week (most likely around Tuesday or Wednesday) when I've had time to think it over and plan things out more.**

 **Despite this minor setback I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, albeit short, and thank you for reading.**


	31. Chapter 31

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Hey, I got the other half of this chapter out a day early!**

 **The reason why it took so long is because the way I'd written this chapter upon my first attempt at this story complicated things greatly as there were a lot of plot-holes and inconsistencies that I had to get past and come up with ideas of how to fix. Hence as to why I was so frustrated.**

 **However, I refuse to give up on this story and I'm determined to keep going no matter what challenges I may face with it. I may not have many peope that** ** _do_** **like my story, but for those that do, I keep writing.**

 **I'd also like to give a huge shout-out to "Greatatthinkingbadatwriting". Your words of encouragment gave me the drive to push on and get this chapter done and honestly, it turned out much better than I'd expected.**

 **Believe it or not I suffer from generalized anxiety disorder and due to my first attempt at this story getting less than pleasent reception (which worsened my anxiety because I was already apprehensive to even upload this story to begin with due to fear), I often tend to stress myself out and panic now which contributes a lot to my writer's block when it does happen.**

 **So, thank you from the bottom of my heart.**

* * *

Once Storm and Optimus were outside with Sam and Ron, it wasn't hard to find Judy given the trail of destruction she'd left in her wake.

Storm followed the trail of irate humans where they finally found Judy. The woman was standing her place, highly inebriated by the substance she'd consumed earlier and it showed as she called out to a group of female's passing by her. "Pretty girls! Hey, you! My son lives in this dorm. You should go make friends with him. His name is Sam."

The group of four made it over to Judy in just enough time to hear something that made Sam flush red and Storm bark out in laughter. "He recently became a man! He didn't know I was in the house! I heard it all!"

Sam desperately began to try and pull his mother away from the group of girls she'd been confessing all of his secrets to whilst Storm doubled over in laughter as the woman continued to blurt out intimate details, all involving Sam. "He would get in my closest and dress up as Boy Spice. Hey, and his car is a talking robot!"

Sam's eyes went wide in shock due to what his mother had said. He began to stutter, attempting to explain away to the group of female's what his mother had meant. "No like the GPS! OnStar!"

Judy began struggling wildly, soon breaking free of Sam's hold much to the chestunt-haired boy's displeasure. His displeasure was only furthered as Storm followed after him, the Forerunner female continuing to laugh causing him to narrow his eyes at her, an irritated inflection lacing his voice heavily. "You know, you could help me out here, Stormy."

Storm took the hint, abandoning her laughter in knowing that Sam was stressed and she was only making it worse. "Sorry, Sam. It was just too damn funny."

The group ran after Judy, desperately trying to find her once again before she could get herself into anymore trouble than the woman already had.

They rounded a corner of a building and were greeted with the sight of Judy diving into someone with reckless abandon in order to take his frisbee. She had quite literally tackled the poor man into the ground, causing Storm to stop in her place as well as those with her.

Storm looked over to Sam in disbelief over what she'd just witnessed. It seemed he was genuinely shocked just as Storm was, her voice taking on this same emotion as she spoke. "Holy shit, Sam. Your mom is built like a freaking linebacker."

Un-surprisingly, Ron was equally as shocked as the pair due to his wife's actions. He rushed over to the woman, tackling her away from the man that she was currently trying to wrestle with for claim of his frisbee.

The now freed man was irate and rightfully so. He pointed to Sam, demanding that the he "get his mother under control" though the chestnut-haired boy was currently pretending to not know Judy due to her highly embarrassing actions.

Judy was without a care in the world, however. She looked up at Ron whom currently had her arms pinned to the grass covered ground beneath her on each side of her head in order her to stop her with an impish grin, saying something that shocked everyone. "Hey, Professor. I'd do _anything_ for an A."

Storm groaned out in disgust as she slapped a hand against her forehead. She couldn't understand what it was with people saying and doing inappropriate things as of today. If it wasn't Ron, it was Judy. And she had both seen and heard more than her fair share of revolting things for today.

In Storm's repulsed state, Ron lifted Judy onto his shoulder, earning him the excited giggling of the very far from sober older woman.

The group excorted Judy back towards their vehicle and forced her in much to the displeasure of the euphoric woman.

Ron turned to face Sam, reluctantly telling him good-bye and that while he didn't want to leave Sam just yet, he needed to escort Judy hom due to her current, inebriated state.

This sadenned Sam though he agreed with his father. He'd had enough of his mother embarrasing him for one day, knowing that her actions would leave him with a lasting reputation on campus.

He watched as Storm and Optimus gathered what little remained of his belongings and his life back home that he was leaving behind from the back of his parents vehicle.

Sam hugged his father one last time, watching with sorrow as his father got into his car and left him behind along with his mother before turning to face his friend.

What he saw caused him to let out a light chuckle and a small grin to break across his formerly saddened features.

Storm was ever the over-acheiver, grabbing much more than what she could physically handle simply because she hated making multiple trips, this much Sam knew.

On days when he were younger and his mother had tasked him with bringing in the weekly groceries, Storm would assume the task in his place, gathering all of the groceries at one time with her reasoning being that "multiple trips were for wimps".

It had always filled him with astonishment how she was so strong.

As he reflected back with fondness, he wondered how he'd never realized that Storm was more than human when all signs had pointed to such. Her immense show of strength during his childhood. Her ability to always be faster than him, faster than _anything_ he'd ever seen...and how she had never aged.

Even as she stood before him now, struggling to hold up the many boxes and items that towered far above her head whilst Optimus begged for the stubborn woman to let him help her, she looked the same as the first day he'd met her. Never a wrinkle to be seen nor a graying hair on her head.

Sam jumped forward once Storm almost tipped over due to the heaviness of all of his things held within her grasp, broken from his thoughts due to his fear for his friend. Thankfully, she was stabilized by Optimus, the Autobot leader at her right grabbing her around the left side of her waist with his own left hand, his other still holding onto his own stack of Sam's boxes.

The chestnut-haired boy breathed out a sigh of relief before walking towards Storm and taking half of the stack of items she currently held and judging by the look on his friend's face, she was not pleased with his actions. This became even more evident once she spoke. "Hey! I totally had it under control!"

Sam barked out a laugh. "That didn't look very _controlled_ to me."

Storm narrowed her eyes at Sam for his sarcastic tone. If today wasn't the day in which he was celebrating his acheivement and academical triumph, she would make him regret those words. However, she remained silent, following after Sam with her now halved load of Sam's thing with displeasure.

They walked back towards the dorm's, making their way through the now familiar hallway of the building and down to the end towards Sam's room.

The trio walked in with Storm ignoring the stares of Leo she felt roaming her body as she leaned over and placed Sam's remaining boxes onto his designated bed. There was no doubt in her mind that the human was eyeing her posterior, something which she still to this day did not understand about human males as they collectively seemed to share an obssession with female "assets".

It was displayed in their artwork, their music, and their very culture as far back as time had been recorded both on their own as a species and via The Domain. And it was something her people had never shared in.

Her assumptions were only confirmed once she stood up straight. She turned quickly to look at Leo and he hastily averted his gaze before disappearing into the adjacent room, something that Optimus did not miss.

The Autobot leader followed where his gaze had been locked onto Storm and she swore she saw his optics flicker briefly to the same shade of white she'd seen from him hours earlier, his expression changing minutely in tandem with this.

Storm chuckled. The Autobot leader was as chivalrous as they came and he knew when a lady was being disrespected, Cybertronian or not. This human obviously didn't have good self preservation instincts to be testing the Prime.

Storm looked over to Sam, finding that the boy was completely oblivious to what had just happened. He was far too occupied with un-packing the boxes he had stolen from Storm's hold.

She walked over to him, laying her left hand gently on his right shoulder. This was the moment she had been dreading since she'd first departed from NEST. The moment she knew would eventually come despite her wishing deeply that it wouldn't.

Her actions garnered her Sam's attention. He turned to face her, his expression mimicking her's. It seemed he understood what Storm was thinking without her saying anything at all. She needed to return to her home of the last two years. To NEST.

The chestnut-haired boy wrapped Storm in a hug, his voice filled with emotion as he spoke to her. "I don't want you to go, Stormy."

Storm returned her friend's embrace, using her right hand to rub up and down his back in a gesture of comfort as she responded to him with sadness. "I don't want to either, Sammy...But I have to get back to base."

Sam stayed there like that for a few moments before pulling back from the embrace of his friend to look her in the eyes, calmed by her actions. "I know...Promise you'll come visit me?"

Storm shot Sam a devillish grin, one that stretched from ear to ear. "Of course, Samantha. You know I can't be away from my best friend for too long. After all, who will I have to aggravate if I do that?"

Sam chuckled at Storm's statment. She constantly made it her mission to irritate him when any opportunity to do so presented itself. "Call me a little bit more often. too. You know, to let me know how things are going with..."

Storm nodded to him in affirmation, understanding what he meant and that he couldn't say anymore due to the three humans in the other room who might be listening in on them. "I will, Sammy. I promise."

Her friend wrapped her in a hug once more and a few minutes in, Storm sucked in a sharp breath and pulled back to look at Sam, her eyes narrowed at him playfully. "You better not leave any _dirty socks_ lying around like you used to. If you catch my _drift_ , Sam."

Sam's face immediately flushed with heat and Storm smirked. It seemed he did catch her drift and her referrence of his disgusting habit he'd developed once he'd came of reproductive age.

Sam began to panic once Storm's eyes lit up with an emotion he recognized all to well. Mischeif.

He attempted to stop her as she made a hasty turn towards the adajcent room to their left but to no avail. He watched with fear as the woman leaned into the room, pointing to Leo as she said something highly embarrassing that made him wish his parents had taken the alien female with them. "Hey! Be on the lookout for any suspiciously stiff socks lying around Sam's bed! He's been a serial sock-abuser since puberty!"

Storm directed her attention to the two males sitting in front of a computer screen which were now looking at her oddly, her next statements further enhancing Sam's current embarrassment. "Same goes for you Sharky and Ass-Bender!"

Storm ignored the fact that Leo was now reprimanding her that his friend's names were not "Sharky and Ass-Bender" in favor of turning back to look at Sam where he sat on his bed, hands covering his face. His entire body was flushed with heat from embarrassment, his skin beet red.

Her evil grin spread wide across her face as her body filled with the un-mistakable sensation of triumph.

She had begun to walk towards Sam but was stopped in her tracks. The boy grabbed a pillow from behind him on his bed and raised it over his head in preperation to throw it at her. Her eyes went wide fear and she darted for Optimus, taking him quickly by the hand.

She drug the Autobot leader behind her as she made her way out of Sam's room, turning the corner and running out into the hallway whilst yelling out to the boy with amusement in-between her cackling laughter. "See you later, Sammy!

Storm weaved through the shocked humans that were in her path and once at the end of the hallway, she threw open the doors of the building with haste, barreling outside with reckless abandon towards where Optimus' alt-mode still sat. She wouldn't give her friend the opportunity to catch her and enact retribution.

By the time she reached the true body of the flame decorated leader, Storm was out of breath. And it was worth it. She couldn't think of a more appropriate way for her to depart, with fond, happy memories of her last encounter with Sam to look back on instead of with sadness.

Storm leaned over, hands placed on her knees as she breathed in deep to combat her lack of appropriate oxygen, soon raising her head up towards the direction of a sudden clicking sound in-front of her. Optimus had opened the passenger side door of his alt-mode for her and was smiling at her, an open hand gestured towards the inside of his truck cab.

Storm breathed out an amused sigh as she returned his smile, raising herself from her slouched position before walking over towards the Autobot leader.

She winked at him, a smirk now plastered on her face as she spoke. "Such a gentleman, Prime."

Her comments earned her chuckling laughter as she climbed in, Optimus shutting the door behind her once he was sure her limbs were was secured within his alt-mode.

She watched him as he walked around to the opposite side, opening the driver's side door before climbing in.

He started up his engine, waiting a few moments to check for humans around him before pulling away from Sam's college and onto the road they'd arrived from.

Storm remained silent as they drove, her gaze locked on to the world that was passing her by just outside of her window. This silence concerned Optimus. He eyed her from his peripherals, taking notice of her semi-slouched position. "Are you alright, Tempest?"

Storm turned to look at Optimus, smiling to him as she answered his question. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just thinking is all."

Optimus said nothing in response to Storm as he knew what the female was thinking. Her emotions were catching up to her as they drove further and further away from Sam's college. She had waited two years for what little time she'd received with the boy today. And though she desired more, she knew she couldn't have it nor would she have asked for it. The humans needed her. NEST _needed_ her.

It seemed the now awkward silence had gotten to Storm, interuppting the Autobot leader in his obviously thought-filled state with the clearing of her throat and a question. "So, is Bumblebee coming back with us?"

Optimus briefly glanced at Storm, nodding to her in affirmation before turning his gaze back towards the road ahead of him. "Yes, though he is reluctant. He has only agreed given Sam's expressed desire for him to do so."

Storm leaned back further into Optimus' leather seating, sighing heavily with a tiredness that was suddenly creeping up on her before responding to him. "Alright. If you would, go ahead and have one of the Autobots back at NEST tell Lennox to call back our transport plane. Both I and The Warden can escort you back to base."

Optimus willingly agreed to what Storm had asked of him, contacting Jazz via his communications systems to inform him and Lennox of their plans. It would be much faster and _much_ less stressful for them to return back to NEST via Storm and The Warden's teleportation abilities.

The Autobot leader spoke up once he was finished with a question. "Where would you like Bumblebee to meet with us?"

Storm shrugged her shoulders with non-chalance. "The abandoned warehouse Bumblebee and I had crashed through when we were evading Barricade, I suposse. It's vacant and no one will see us there."

Optimus relayed this information to the yellow scout and Bumblebee said he would depart immediately. Thankfully, neither of them were that far away from the determined rendezvous point.

Once they'd arrived to the designated location, Storm's eyes locked on to a familiar yellow Camaro sitting stationary within the warehouse. It seemed Bumblebee had arrived before them though this was an easy feat given he was much closer to the warehouse than Storm and Optimus had been at the time of his contact.

The Autobot leader slowed to a stop and deactivated his holoform as Storm opened the passenger side door, climbing out of his alt-mode. She dropped the camouflage response of her and phased on her protective armor, including her mask.

Storm contacted The Warden in succesion with this via her Ancilla and he responded almost immediately to her summons. She informed the Promethean titan of her plan as both Bumblebee and Optimus transformed up to their bi-pedal mode and he agreed without hesitation.

Her second-in-command approached the Autobot scout and gently grabbed him by the shoulders. She couldn't help but laugh as she watched a slip-space portal open behind both The Warden and Bumblebee. The yellow scout was whirring and chirping excitedly as it slowly lifted the pair off the ground and enveloped them, snapping shut behind them.

It was Optimus' turn now. She turned to face him, using her gravitational manipulator to slowly float up to the Autobot leader's chest level.

She grabbed onto the plated armor of his chest gently so as to avoid harming him with the clawed fingertips of her armored hands before willing open a slip-space portal of her own.

It slowly began to pull them in just as it had with The Warden and Bumblebee, shutting behind the pair without a sound.

...

The other end of the portal opened in mere seconds, dropping the pair gracefully onto the familiar, heated tarmac of NEST with Bumbebee and The Warden nowhere to be seen. The pair had been teleported to a different section of the base than them, it seemed.

Optimus held out his palm in a gesture that Storm understood too well. She willed back her protective mask and smiled at him before letting go from his chest plating and floating into his open palm, sitting down on it's metal surface.

The regal leader carried her over to their mutual spot which they shared to watch the stars and despite the sun beginning to set and her being tired, Storm humored him. She was determined to ask Optimus why his holoform had been making such strange noises and now was as good a time as any.

And if the Autobot leader didn't know why, she knew that Ratchet would. This was not a distraction from the more important matters at hand, however. She still needed to inform Optimus of the day's earlier developments in Sam's room, that the boy had somehow gotten a shard of the All-Spark trapped within his clothing in Mission City with it's destruction and that Mikaela had taken it into her possession. But this could wait until they were in a private setting with Lennox and the NEST General, away from prying eyes and un-worthy ears.

She was broken from her thoughts as Optimus raised his hand up to the top of the hangar. She climbed off and sat down, legs hanging lazily off it's edge.

The silence was thick for many moments, only being broken once Storm spoke up to Optimus with a question. "Hey, Optimus? Why was your holoform making strange noises earlier today?"

Optimus froze in response to Storm's question, something she found highly suspicious. There was something the Autobot leader wasn't telling her.

And she was right. He was hesitent in answering her, though reluctantly speaking to answer her after a few moments. "It is...complicated, I'm afraid. Ratchet has expressed that it is possibly due to my spark."

Storm was obviously panicked upon hearing this. She had snapped her head towards him, looking to him with worry etched into her features heavily. She knew the importance of a Cybertronian spark, and any issue with the life-sustaining object highly was dangerous. "Your spark? Optimus, that's not normal. If Ratchet is still awake then I think we should go see him. Like, _now_."

Optimus waved off the Forerunner and her concern with a reassuring tone. "It is not something "dangerous", Tempest. I assure you."

Storm visibly relaxed hearing this though she was very much still visiby on edge. "Oh...well, what's causing it, then?"

Optimus had turned to face the hangar and subsequently Storm, about to answer the female and her question when Storm saw the light of his optics dim, something she had seen many times before. He was being contacted via his communication systems.

She waited patiently for him to respond but after several moments of silence, she became worried.

Storm placed her armored left hand on the metal plating of Optimus' cheek, hoping it would bring his attention back towards her. It worked, the Autobot leader's sudden change in body language sending up red flags in her mind. Something was wrong.

She narrowed her eyes at him, her voice laced heavily with worry as she spoke. "Optimus, what's going on? You're freaking me out."

The Autobot leader's expression shifted to one of anger and guilt as his eyes locked with Storm's, his voice taking on this same emotion as he answered her. "I'm afraid I should have listened to you, Tempest...The shard of the All-Spark I placed within human hands has been stolen by the Decepticons."

* * *

 **Uh-oh, The Decepticons have the All-Spark shard.**

 **Also, it seems that Storm and Sam have known each other longer than you guys may have originally knew ;)**

 **I'm going to be doing my best to add in how they met and exactly how long ago it was but I have to find the right chapter to fit it into. It was after her time with the UNSC, though, which I'll be going into as well.**

 **I already have a couple of ideas for chapters but those are semi-far away. So, we'll see when we get there, I guess. Could be sooner, could be later.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	32. Chapter 32

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Before we get into this chapter, I'd like to ask everyone a small question that I've been thinking about over the weekend. Do you think there's not enough filler chapters in-between the first Transformers movie and Revenge of The Fallen?**

 **We have many more chapters to get through before the main events of RoTF start to happen, but I feel like there possibly isn't enough and maybe that I could have added more but I'd ike to know what everyone else thinks. If you guys agree, I'll probably start looking for someone to collaborate with on this story so that way I can have some fresh ideas and suggestions coming in for filler chapters but this might take awhile.**

 **I don't know anyone around me who reads fan-fiction nor anyone that wouldn't think I was "strange" for writing it so it would be a lengthy search, but I'd be willing to do it for you, my readers.**

* * *

Storm felt her blood turn to ice in her veins upon registering what Optimus had said, her breath suddenly trapped in her throat. She felt as if a crushing, invisible weight were bearing down heavily on her armored chest. Her mind was a mess of thoughts, all of them drifting back to _one_ originating thought. Her worst fears had come true.

She had been apprehensive in trusting humans with such a sensitive matter and the Decepticons had proved her why. They weren't capable of protecting such an important artifact with their primitive technology and weaponry but despite her better judgement, she had chosen to trust them. She had chosen to trust _Optimus._

And now, The Mantle was possibly in jeopardy due to her ignoring her instinctual feelings. Storm dropped her face into her armored hands, rubbing them up and down her face though doing so carefully so as to not damage herself with her clawed fingers whilst she sighed heavily.

Optimus did not miss the small Forerunner in her visual display of stress. He kept his gaze locked on her, his expression filled with obvious guilt. Storm had warned him, yet he still chose to hand over the shard to the humans, desperate to earn their trust for him and his people. He only wished he'd known that in his desperation, he would be obstructing Storm in her birth-given duty to The Mantle.

The Autobot leader shook his head slowly, his movements filled with sorrow as he spoke. He had betrayed his ally without even knowing. "I apologize greatly to you, Tempest...You warned me and I did not listen. Please, forgive me and my ignorance."

Storm removed her hands from her face angrily, raising her head quickly to meet Optimus' persistent gaze. She had fully been prepared to lash out, her emotions getting the best of her in the overwhelming situation. However, when her eyes locked onto Optimus' glowing, blue eyes, she couldn't.

Her expression softened. She recognized the emotion in his optics all too well...fear. The Autobot leader understood the mistake he'd made, but he was not fully to blame. Storm shared in this blame just as much as he as she'd known better. Even she had wished the Autobots to have the trust Optimus so desired for them. It was the reason for her allowing Optimus to relenquish the shard to begin with.

Storm sighed, bringing her clawed, right hand up to rest on Optimus' metal cheek. "This is not solely your fault, Optimus. It is mine as well. So please, don't blame yourself entirely for this as we both share the blame-"

She smiled to the Autobot leader with reasurrance as she continued to speak, not missing how his features were now knitted together in a myriad of conflicting emotions. "-But, as I've said before: If something were to happen that could potentially jeopradize The Mantle, I will be here to fix it."

Storm's words did nothing to console nor convince the Autobot leader. He looked away from her, still feeling the familiar emotion of guilt throughout his body.

Storm did not miss this. She brought her other hand up to his face, placing it onto his left cheek before moving his head for him to face her once again. "Look at me, Prime. We are _both_ to blame, neither one of us sharing more blame than the other. I _will_ make this right and I _will_ uphold The Mantle, I promise you this."

As Storm stared into his optics, he felt the genuine sincerity of her words. He could only think as she gently held onto his face that though she was small, she was fierce, prepared to take on any challenge she faced without a second thought and she had shown him over the years that she was fully capable of handling herself.

Optimus nodded to Storm, a silent gesture of understanding. With his guilt now subsiding, it seemed that the alien leader's were under a general consensus. They now needed to determine their next course of action.

The pair looked to each other, their expressions speaking everything they were thinking without the need of words. They needed to find Lennox.

The Autobot leader comm'd his fellow Autobots as to the whereabouts of the NEST Major as Storm leapt from the hangar roof. She used her gravitational to slow her decent to the tarmac, landing flat-footed on the ground before walking off with purpose in her search for Lennox.

Optimus followed behind her, soon informing her that Jazz had spotted Lennox walking towards the Autobot hangar. There were no doubts in Storm's mind as to the cause. The NEST Major was going to contact General Morshower to inform him of the Decepticons unforseen possession of the All-Spark shard.

Storm hastily made her way towards the Autobot hangar, looking up towards the metal platform within it's center as she entered. Her assumptions had been correct. Lennox was currently in a video call with the afformentioned NEST General.

She used the gravitational manipulator of her suit to float up onto the large metal platform, standing out of sight just behind the expensive camera Lennox's attention was locked on. She did not wish to be seen as she wasn't wearing her protective mask to conceal her identity.

She listened intently to Lennox as he explained the situation to the NEST overseer, telling him that they'd just received word that the Decepticons had mobilized upon the naval base which held the shard, forcing their way inside and stealing it which had resulted in multipled human casualties.

Storm visibly stiffened upon hearing this, her head lowering to face the ground, deep in thought. Multiple human casualties? The Decepticons were ruthless monsters, caring not for the beings which they harmed. She couldn't help but think in this moment that she could have prevented this, yet she knew the Decepticons would stop at _nothing_ to get what they wanted.

She took solace in the fact that the souls of those lost would now be at peace within the Domain. She only hoped, however, that their end was swift and absent of prolonged suffering.

Lennox did not miss this expression shift from the Forerunner though he said nothing, continuing on in his conversation with General Morshower. "Unfortunately General, we have no idea as to the whereabouts of the Decepticons nor the shard and now that they have it, we don't know what they intend to do with it."

The NEST General responded to him, telling him that he would have all military troops on the lookout for any suspicious activity before proceeding to ask Lennox what he thought would be the next best action to take.

It was obvious to Storm given the dumbfounded look on Lennox's face that for once, he had no idea what to do. No idea what course of action to pursue next as the Decepticons had stopped them at almost every turn, always seemingly one step ahead of them.

Storm raised her head and used that moment to speak up from behind the camera. She believed she may have and idea. "Pardon my intrusion, General, but I believe that it would be best for I, Optimus, and Lennox to survey the naval base the shard was formerly held at for clues."

The NEST General pondered her suggestion for several moments, eventually nodding to Lennox in affirmation. It seemed he agreed with Storm's suggestion that it would be best for them to do as the Forerunner leader had said.

General Morshower began to stress to the trio that it was imperitive they reach their destination fast so as to avoid the decay of crucial evidence in their newly given mission and Storm agreed. If they were going to find the root cause for why the Decepticons had stolen the shard, they'd have to move quick. Time was of the essence.

She only hoped that they could figure out the Decepticons motive before it was too late.

With her orders now received, Storm turned, leaping over the railing of the metal platform towards the ground as Lennox ended his call with the NEST General. She waited for him at the bottom, following after him as he walked towards the hangar containing many human-made aircraft with Optimus in tow.

The NEST Major began giving out orders, all of them pertaining to their transport which the soldiers around them were now beginning to hastily prepare for the trio's departure.

Once again that day, Storm's mind was a mess of thoughts. What would she see once she arrived? How bad would the damage inflicted by the Decepticons be?

Her change in expression and physical demeanor had not went un-noticed by Lennox. He approached her, laying a hand gently on her armored shoulder with concern. "You alright, Stormy?"

Storm nodded in response to Lennox, her eyes never leaving a military aircraft that was now slowly making it's way onto the tarmac and subsequent runway just outside of the hangar they currently resided in. "I am fine...Merely thinking is all."

Lennox accepted the Forerunner's response, removing his hand from her shoulder before using it to gesture for Storm to follow him to which she obliged.

Optimus followed out just behind her, now in his alt-mode. She had been so distracted by her own thoughts that she had failed to hear the sounds of shifting metal from the Autobot leader to indicate his transformation.

She silently continued to follow after Lennox, allowing Optimus entrance into the military aircraft before both her and Lennox, the pair finally entering once the Autobot leader was fully situated.

Storm chose her respective seat within the plane that was near Optimus and sat down, strapping herself in tightly so that she wouldn't be harmed during takeoff.

She willed her protective mask over her face and leaned back into her seat, sighing heavily in a mixture of emotions. Stress. Anxiety. _Fear_.

She knew this was required of her, something she herself had suggested to General Morshower, but she wasn't prepared for what she may see once they arrived.

Not in the slightest.

...

It was a long, uncomfortable ride to their destination of the naval base and she was thankful once they'd finally arrived. Once she had stepped out of the aircraft, however, it was an entirely different story.

The area surrounding her was littered with obvious bullet markings, the ground showing signs of a dried substance Storm easily recognized. It was the life force that flowed through all humans. _Blood_.

Storm felt her heart drop into her stomach, now a zombie seemingly on auto-pilot as Lennox led her towards the entrance of the naval base with Optimus following just behind her in his holoform.

Optimus placed a hand on the Forerunner's shoulder for comfort, taking notice that she was now keeping her gaze adamently directed towards the ground. He could easily see that she was uncomfortable being in the presence of such obvious biologic destruction and he didn't blame her for feeling this way. He _couldn't_ blame her. She had tasked herself with protecting all sentient life and to see what the Decepticons had so readily left behind without remorse...she felt it in her very soul.

Storm stopped walking once both Lennox and Optimus had, looking up to find the source of their sudden absence of movement. A human male stood before them, fully clad in heavy protective armor and a weapon held securely in his hands.

Storm gazed at the man from underneath her mask with confusion and suspicion as he spoke to Lennox, his words soon allowing his presence to make sense to her. He was their escort, specifically chosen for them by General Morshower.

The man gestured to the trio for them to follow, leading them inside of the formerly secure naval base with urgency. They were soon brought to the room that once held the All-Spark shard and Storm surveyed it with her eyes. It was a wreck, to say the least.

The first thing Storm couldn't help but notice upon her entering the vault was a myriad of mysterious gouges that had been etched into the formerly pristine flooring, created by something that was very visibly thin and sharp. A blade perhaps?

Next, Storm turned her attention to a cylindrical glass tube, walking up to where it resided. There was no doubt in her mind that it was the container which once held the shard.

She traced an armored index finger along the outer surface of the neatly cut hole which the shard had been pulled from. It was done with precision, most likely with the same object that had been used to destroy the flooring around her.

Storm once again returned her attention to the deep gouges in the floor, kneeling down over them before tracing a clawed finger along the marks. Whatever had done this must have been small in mass and stature, something that could have easily gained entrance to this highly secure base. The main question running through Storm's mind, however, was how did this Decepticon gain entry?

Storm turned her head towards the human standing behind her whom was next to Lennox, speaking up to him with a question. "How many people have un-restricted access to this area?"

The human soldier stuttered out his response, obviously caught off guard that the alien female was speaking to him. "Uh- two, Ma'am. Entrance to this section requries an electronic card that only two people have a copy of."

Storm nodded to the soldier as a now interested Optimus walked over to her, kneeling down at her left side as spoke up to her with a question. "What do you surmise from this evidence, Tempest?"

Storm sighed heavily, shrugging her shoulders as she explained what she thought had happened whilst continuing to trace the markings on the floor. "I'm not entirely sure yet. But whatever did this, it was small, likely possessing some form of sharp weapon as is evident from these markings."

Optimus nodded in agreement with Storm's statements. "How do you believe this Decepticon gained entry?"

Storm removed her gaze from the ground, looking around the room as she surveyed it intently. She could find no possible area of entry...That was until she looked up, spotting a cylindrical tube that extended up into the inner workings of the ceiling. She was almost sure that the metal tubing extended up above ground as she had spotted similar structures emerging from the earth that covered the mostly underground base. Their function was most likely to provide the hidden base with sufficient oxygen.

Storm simply pointed up, directing Optimus' attention to the metal tubing her gaze was locked on. The only thing now which Storm couldn't figure out was how something thst was potentially so small had managed to create such deep gashes in the floor and had caused so much damage to the vault.

She slowly stood up, turning to face the soldier whom had escorted them into the base once again with another question. "Excuse me, does this room have video surveilance by any chance?"

The human soldier nodded to her in affirmation, asking her, Optimus, and Lennox to follow him to the surveilance room. Storm crossed her arms over her armored chest as she followed behind the heavily armored soldier, the man leading them over to the opposite side of the base and into a room filled with highly expensive human technology.

He pulled up the footage from when the shard was stolen onto a large screen and the trio watched it intently. Storm's assumptions were correct. What had broken into the base was a tiny Decepticon.

She watched with genuine surprise as multiple tiny, round objects fell out from the metal tubing of the ceiling, uniting together to form a short, thin, razor sharp bodied Decepticon that proceeded to steal the All-Spark shard from it's glass container.

However, the small Decepticon was not allowed to steal the shard without resistance. She watched as a group of soldiers entered the vault and attempted to fight against their current threat but to no avail. They were dispatched quickly by the tiny, Frenzy reminiscent bot.

Part of the mystery had now been concluded, but Storm was still suspicious. There was no way this tiny Decepticon would have been able to take on an entire army that could easily provide it with highly out-numbered and frankly overpowered resistance. This Decepticon would've surely had help given the excessive amount of destruction just outside.

Storm kept her eyes on the screen, speaking out with a question that was directed towards the human soldier standing at Lennox's left side. "Were there any other Decepticons spotted in this area at the time of this attack?"

The human male responded to her question with a slight tone of curiousity. "Uh, yeah...We received multiple reports of a panther-looking Decepticon attacking from the beach side."

Upon hearing this, Optimus grumbled out an un-intelligible sentence that sounded to be in a mixture of anger and annoyance. This earned him Storm's attention. She tilted her head at the Autobot leader slightly, speaking to him with curiosity and knowing. "You know of this Decepticon, don't you, Prime?"

Optimus nodded to her, continuing to watch the events that were playing out on the screen before him as he responded to her. "Indeed. This "panther-esque" Cybetronian is one of Soundwave's mini-con's, Ravage. He was Megatron's spy and surveillance expert, highly proficient in his hacking abilities before the war began."

Storm pondered what Optimus had said for several moments, eventually snapping her head up towards the Autobot leader at her right side. No...It couldn't be.

She narrowed her eyes to him in anger, this change in expression going un-seen due to her protective mask as she side-stepped the Autobot leader, suddenly rushing out of the room with haste and no previous warning. She heard the sounds of Optimus dismissing his holoform on her way out in tandem with the sounds of shouting which she recognized coming from Lennox along with his heavy footsteps that were chasing after her.

Lennox continued to yell out to Storm with urgency, trying to get her attention with desperation as he followed after her out of the underground naval base.

He soon closed the distance to her, having to jog to keep up with her walking pace as he spoke to her with concern. "Stormy, are you even listening?! What in the _hell_ is going on?!"

Storm abruptly stopped in her place, Lennox almost tripping in response as he attempted to stop with her. She turned to him and pointed a clawed finger into Lennox's face which startled him. He could feel the deadly aura of Storm that was blanketing the air thickly.

Storm wasted no time in responding to Lennox, his blood freezing in his veins due to the seething anger he could very easily hear in the Forerunner's voice. "Contact General Morshower and tell him that I want our daft excuse for a liaison at base by the time we arrive! I will be having a few _choice_ words with him."

Lennox didn't dare move as Storm turned away. Instead, gazing over her armored shoulders towards the Autobot leader whom hadn't yet moved from his spot. He was genuinely shocked by Storm's emotional outburst and whatever it was that currently had her angry, it most certainly had to do with Director Galloway given her off-hand comments.

The NEST Major only hoped that the Autobot leader could calm the emotionally un-stable female before they arrived back to base as he knew that Optimus was the Forerunner's metaphorical kryptonite.

If he couldn't stop her, he hoped that Storm's duty to The Mantle would. For Galloway's sake.

* * *

 **Yes! I finally got this chapter done.**

 **I've decided to split it up into two parts though as this chapter was originally 25kb and this first half ended up being 21kb. The rest of it is simply too much for me to fit into one chapter, unfortunately.**

 **But, that means you guys can look forward to the next chapter because Galloway is going to get just a little bit of what** _ **I**_ **think he deserves ;)**

 **I hope you all enjoy this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	33. Chapter 33

**AN: I don't own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Man, I am so ready for this. Storm is going to rip Galloway a new one and he'll deserve** _ **every**_ _ **minute of it**_

 **This chapter may have gotten out a little late (I started writing this Monday), but I have a doctor's appointment I must attend to early in the morning, unfortunately. Also, it was kind of hard for me to do anything given the entirety of this website went down for awhile.**

 **Server errors,** _ **everywhere**_

 **Now, in response to those who've said I could take a break from writing if I'd like, I know I can. I just have a lot of free time and this story helps to keep me busy so trust me, I'm not doing it because I feel obligated if that's what anyone thinks. I do it simply because it's fun for me and in some ways theraputic.**

 **The way I see it, as long as the quality of my work doesn't start suffering, I'm good.**

 **However, I will be absent for the entire week of Thanksgiving to spend it with my family and brave the Black Friday rush as I need to get a new tablet (even though I was already planning to get one that day due to completely un-related issues with my tablet) because guess who accidentally dropped a bottle of nail polish on their tablet and cracked the screen? This girl right here, haha.**

 **I keep all of my nail polish high-up on a shelf to keep it away from my dog and my tablet just so happened to be on the table below it when it dropped :/**

* * *

The sun had set on the horizon, a full day now passed though any semblence of tiredness and exhaustion was gone from Storm's body and mind, these emotions replaced with seething anger despite Optimus' attempts to calm her.

It was no surprise to the Autobot leader that when the aircraft they resided in landed on the tarmac of NEST, Storm launched out from the back of it, striding through the base in search of Galloway with purpose.

He needed to stop the Forerunner before she could do anything she'd regret. He hastily exited after the woman in his alt-mode, transforming to his bi-pedal form as Lennox set off in chase after her, all the while trying to convice Storm to tell him what was wrong but to no avail. The woman remained silent, ingoring the Lennox's questions.

Optimus quickly followed after the pair, easily catching up to Storm and Lennox with long strides as the woman approached the liaison whom she'd requested. He was waiting outside the Autobot hangar for them to arrive.

As soon as Galloway had spotted Storm, he nodded to her, speaking to her with professionalism and respect. "Ah, there you are. I understand you wished to-"

Storm willed back her protective mask, snarling inches in front of Galloway's face in a volatile manner. This effectively stopped the liaison in his sentence, scaring the man and rightfully so. He had never seen her in such a feral state and neither had Lennox. The NEST Major quickly squeeze his way in-between the pair, trying to put distance between the Forerunner and the NEST liaison though with much struggle.

Storm was pushing into him with her armored chest, pointing around Lennox and into Galloway's face with a clawed finger as she spoke with a deadly venom. "You are correct that I wished to see you, human! I want a direct link to General Morshower, _now_! You're going to explain to him how it was _you're_ fault that the Decepticons found the location of the All-Spark shard!"

Director Galloway was visibly taken aback by Storm's statements, his expression changing to one that indicated she'd offened him. The liaison came closer to Lennox's back as he struggled to keep the Forerunner woman at bay, pointing back into her face with anger. "I had _nothing_ to do with that."

Galloway's response only served to anger Storm further. She pushed Lennox carefully out of the way, going straight for the NEST liaison behind him with deadly intent as she spoke through gritted teeth. Storm was going to hurt him if she wasn't stopped. "You had _everything_ to do with it."

Optimus saw no other option. He quickly plucked the Forerunner from the ground with haste and held her to his chest tightly, trying to calm Storm and the dangerous conflict he saw forming between both her and Galloway.

The woman struggled in Optimus' grasp, trying in vein to push herself out of her current restraints that were his metal arms. Storm was losing control of herself, her mind clouded heavily with anger that even Lennox couldn't miss.

The NEST Major grabbed Galloway by his arm and pulled him along with him into the Autobot hangar to contact General Morshower as Storm had asked him to earlier; hoping that it would calm the female and thus save Galloway from her wrath.

Optimus followed the NEST Major, watching as the man quickly began to scale the ladder of the metal platform in center of the hangar. He began shouting out orders to the soldiers around him and they worked with haste as time was of the essence. Storm was a ticking time-bomb and this was a situation Lennox wished to de-escalate as fast as possible.

The NEST Major waited patiently in front of the expensive camera before him as he waited for the video call to connect. His patience was soon rewarded as he was eventually greeted by the familiar face of the NEST General, the man speaking up to him with curiousity due to his sudden request to speak with him. "You have a report for me, Major?"

Lennox nodded to the man in affirmation, beginning to answer him before he was quickly interuppted by a now mask-clad Storm. It seemed that Optimus had finally let her go. "Actually, I do, Sir. Please, pardon my current rudeness, but recent developments have led me to believe that Director Galloway has compromised our operation."

General Morshower leaned in close to his screen, looking to Storm with suspicion. "And what proof do you have of this claim, Madam?"

Storm pointed over towards Optimus as she spoke, the Autobot leader just off-screen where he couldn't be seen. "While we were at the naval base, Optimus informed me that those whom attacked the base were accomplices of a Decepticon known as Soundwave, Megatron's designated spy and surveillance expert who is highly proficient in hacking."

The NEST General narrowed his eyes at Storm. "Are you implying what I think you are?"

Storm nodded to General Morshower in affirmation. "Indeed I am. The video feed in which Director Galloway so _petulantly_ ranted about the shard and it's location was compromised by Soundwave...I now believe it best if sensitive details were no longer shared via this form of communication, Sir."

The NEST General remained silent for a few minutes, obviously deep in thought before he spoke up to ask Storm a question. "How would you suggest we speak of such "sensitve details" from now on, then?"

Storm only knew of one viable option that was impervious to being hacked. "I will send The Warden to your location once this video call is over. This way, any senstive details can be relayed back and forth directly to him."

General Morshower visibly mulled over Storm's suggestion for several moments before agreeing with her. The Warden had many bodies and while he was by all technicalties an AI created by her people, he was invulnerable to being hacked as Forerunner Ancilla weren't as susceptible as human AI to security breaches. The only way her second-in-command and longest friend could be taken from her was if the Decepticons had found their way to Requiem and assumed control of the shield world's network, something that was virtually impossible.

Storm was broken from her thoughts by the sounds of General Morshower sighing, the man looking down to his lap whilst rubbing his hands down his face tiredly before looking up once again to face Storm with another question. "And what do you surmise the Decepticons will do with the shard now that it's in their hands?"

Storm crossed her arms over her armored chest. She looked down towards the ground with a sigh, her anger now dissipating due to her venting it. " _That_ , I don't know, Sir. I believe that would be a question better suited for Optimus."

She raised her head, looking up to the Autobot leader at her right. "What do you think they want the shard for, Prime?"

The Autobot leader expelled heated air through his vents heavily, staring off absent-mindedly in obvious thought. "I'm afraid I do not know, either...The All-Spark was capable of _anything_. It could give life and take it, re-build entire civilizations but at the same time, holding immense power to destroy them if in the wrong hands."

Storm stared down at the ground once again as she thought to herself silently. A million and one scenarios were running through her mind as to what the Decepticons could possibly be planning with the All-Spark shard.

That was when Storm had a dawning realization. She jerked her head up towards Optimus, panic evident in her voice as she spoke. "Wait...you said the All-Spark could give life _and_ take it, though I assume you were referring to when it was whole. Could even a sliver of the All-Spark do the same?"

Optimus nodded to Storm in affirmation. "In theory, yes. It is highly plausible."

After saying this, Optimus' eyes widened due to what he'd said, knowing exactly where Storm was going with her question. He watched as she turned to Lennox, easily able to hear the the fear in Storm's voice despite not being able to see her face. "Oh my God...I think they're going to use the shard to revive Megatron."

The NEST General's million dollar question had now been answered, the mystery solved. It explained why the Decepticons had been so aggressive in their attacks on the naval base. Why they hadn't bothered to take the time to plan accordingly before hand.

The Decepticons had intended their strike to be swift from the very beginning, the element of surprise being their only hope at reviving their fallen leader which Storm had helped send to the Domain.

Storm only had one question left now. When would the Decepticons be making their move? She didn't have an answer to this question. She only knew that if the Decepticons true intentions were to revive their leader as she suspected, then she would need to get to Sam to warn him of the impending danger.

While she had been the one to subdue Megatron, she was simply a distraction for Sam to strike the final blow and end the monstrous leader once and for all.

There were no doubts in her mind that the former Decepticon leader would be after Sam with a penchant for the boy killing him two years ago and he needed protection. He needed to be brought to NEST so that she could ensure his safety. It was their only option.

Storm gestured to Optimus with an armored index finger, waggling it in his direction as an indicator for him to follow her before she made her way off of the metal platform and down to the concrete below her.

The Autobot leader obliged the Forerunner, following her out of the Autobot hangar as the pair suddenly began to hear angry shouting coming from Lennox.

The shouting was clearly directed at Galloway and Storm felt no remorse for the man. He'd gotten what he deserved, knocked down from his high-horse that the man had been all too happy to be perched upon since his arrival at NEST. He had made the worst mistake and Lennox was making sure the man would never forget it.

Once in a private setting, Storm stopped in her place, turning around and looking up to Optimus.

The Autobot leader kneeled down over her in response, the orange light of her mask cascading across his metal features as she spoke to him in hushed whispers. "We need to leave, Optimus. We have to find Sam, _now_. It's not safe for him anymore."

The Autobot leader expelled air through his vents heavily, responding to Storm with a tone that betrayed his current conflicting emotions due to her statements. "Tempest...we cannot do that. You know that we must be cleared to leave base by the human government, first."

Storm threw her arms out to her sides, anger audible in her voice. "Screw the human government, Optimus! In case you forgot, it was _their_ representative who put us in this situation to begin with. And I am _not_ going to let Sam pay the price for it."

Whilst Optimus agreed with Storm, fearing for Sam's safety as well, she was once again allowing her emotions to get the best of her; clouding her sense of reason. He could only watch as the woman lowered her head towards the ground in shame of her outburst and disappointment. She felt as if she were failing Sam.

Optimus placed a large, metal finger against the side of her mask where her cheek would be in a gesture of reassurance though un-beknownst to the pair, they were being watched.

The sounds of a person clearing their throat snapped both Optimus and Storm out of their intimate moment, the Forerunner peaking around Optimus' body to see whom it was that had interrupted them. It was Lennox. The man's arms were crossed over his chest, a serious expression on his face as he spoke. "Go."

Though going un-seen dueu to her mask, Storm raised any eyebrow to the NEST Major in confusion. " _Go_?"

The man simply nodded to her in affirmation. "Go find Sam. If the higher-up's have a problem with it, they can take it up with me. You're under my official orders, now. And my orders right now are that you're to get Bumblebee and The Warden, and you're to go find him."

The man had obviously over-heard her and Optimus, listening in on their private conversation which in other circumstances would have angered her. She wasted no time in doing as Lennox had "ordered" of her, however.

Storm hastily made her way towards the Promethean hangar to find The Warden as Optimus' contacted Bumblebee via his communication systems.

Once inside the hangar, Storm informed her second-in-command of her plan to teleport via slip-space to the same warehouse they had retrieved the yellow scout from months earlier after escorting Sam to college. He was on-board, willing to do as she was currently asking of him.

The trio waited patiently for the Autobot scout's arrival and once he had arrived, The Warden approached him, gripping onto his body in tandem with Storm doing the same to Optimus.

Two slip-space portal's soon opened in unison of each other, slowly pulling in the being's before them as Storm was lost to her thoughts. She had looked forward to seeing Sam again, to celebrate the academical acheivments he'd made since the last time she'd seen him.

Not under these current circumstances, however.

She wished that it didn't have to be with her carrying such grave news.

* * *

 **Feels good to finally get this chapter done though there's some things I'm** _ **kind of**_ **iffy about in terms of if I like parts of this chapter or not.**

 **That's probably just because I'm tired, though. I've only had, like, 5 hours of sleep. But, you know, whatever. I'll get some good sleep tonight after I pig out on sushi and other seafood.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	34. Chapter 34

**AN: I don't own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **I am back after my Thanksgiving break and I have good news.**

 **I have a new tablet finally!**

 **I had to stand in line on Black Friday for literally over an hour to get it and let me tell you, my legs hurt** _ **so**_ _ **bad**_ **the next day. But, it's better for me and thus you guy's because it means I finally have a better functioning spell-check to search out typos in my chapters.**

 **And guess what? It has Microsoft Word and everything on it which means I could write literally** _ **anywhere**_ **if I wanted to now. Combine that with the new computer I'm getting (mine is having battery issues, just my luck) and I'll be virtually un-stoppable**

* * *

The other end of Storm's slip-space portal opened to reveal the vacant expanse of their destination. The warehouse.

She slowly lowered herself to the ground, deactivating the gravitational manipulator of her suit once her feet had touched the cold concrete below her.

She soon phased away her protective armor, turning to face The Warden and looking up at him once she had adopted her human appearence before speaking to him with her thanks. The Promethean titan didn't respond to her. Instead, he gave Storm a simple nod. It was all the response she needed.

The Warden had always been a being of few words in the company of those other than Storm, only speaking when spoken to in most cases. It was something that had never bothered her given their ability to communicate by other means. Namely, Storm's Ancilla.

A soft smile placed itself on Storm's face due to her reminiscing as she turned around. She looked up to face Optimus whom was behind her, the Autobot leader now kneeled down onto one knee.

She breathed out a heavy sigh, her expression shifting as she spoke to him with seriousness. "As much as I hate the idea, I think it'd be best if Bumblebee and I went alone to retrieve Sam, Optimus."

The Autobot leader's optics briefly flashed white, soon returning to their standard cerulean hue as he leaned in closer to Storm. He was obviously not pleased with her suggestion. "No, Tempest. I will not leave you un-protected."

Storm shot Optimus a small smile of reassurance, placing a now human in appearence hand onto his cheek plating gently. He was worried for her and it filled her heart with warmth to know that he was concerned.

However, they didn't have the time to waste arguing over her protection. Not with more important matters at hand. "I'll be fine, Optimus. I can handle myself and besides, I won't be un-protected. Bumblebee will be with me and if for any reason something goes wrong, he can contact you via your communication systems."

Despite Storm's words of reassurance, it was easy to see that the Autobot leader was still less than pleased with her idea. He was silent, his metal features knitted together in emotion. It was the telling sign that he was deep in thought.

Optimus was wary of letting her go, afraid of what might happen should the Decepticons manage to get to Sam first before they could as he knew that Storm would no doubt rush in to save the boy; blind to the danger she would be putting herself in due to her fierce protectiveness over him.

Optimus sighed heavily in knowing that he couldn't continue to fight against the Forerunner and her decision. Time was of the essence and he was currently wasting it due to his spark and it's inability to let the woman put herself in danger. "I will trust you, Tempest, though I do not share in your confidence...I am worried."

Storm snorted out a small laugh, rolling her eyes to the Autobot leader in a joking manner with a smile on her face. "You don't have to, Prime. I understand that you're worried, but I wouldn't have suggested this if I wasn't absolutely sure of myself. We need to play this smart to avoid un-wanted attention and un-fortunately, the Decepticons would recognize you from a mile away. If not by your bio-metric signature, then most definitely by your appearence."

The woman before him had a point. As leader of the Autobots, he had a metaphorical bulls-eye plastered on his back. He would draw too much attention and that was something they couldn't afford.

The Autobot leader nodded to Storm in approval, finally agreeing with her decision. She slightly stood up onto the tips of her toes to match their distance, touching her forehead to Optimus' in an intimate gesture the Autobot leader relished in.

She closed her eyes, taking in the faint electric sensation she felt coursing through her as she spoke her last words to Optimus. "May the Domain keep you safe, my Prime."

Optimus felt a strong emotion shoot through his spark upon hearing those words, watching Storm as she slowly back away from him towards Bumblebee, the yellow scout now in his alt-mode; doors open and waiting for her.

She walked around his alt-mode and climbed in to the driver's side, shutting the door behind her before leaning across her seat to speak to Optimus through the open passenger side window. "There's a cemetary not too far from Sam's college. It's secluded and far enough away that a Decepticon wouldn't sense you. Once we've retrieved Sam, we'll meet you there to contact Lennox and arrange transportation back to NEST. I'll have Bumblebee send you the coordinates."

The Autobot leader nodded to Storm, continuing to watch on as Bumblebee left with his intended mate.

Once they had disappeared from sight, Optimus transformed down to his alt-mode and set off towards the afformentioned cemetary he'd just received the coordinates for, his mind a mess of thoughts due to Storm's words.

There were no longer any doubts in his processor as to the Forerunner and her feelings towards him.

She cared for him just as he did her.

...

Storm watched the world pass her by outside Bumblebee's alt-mode, the realization dawning on her that she had now been without sleep for two Earth day's. However, she couldn't feel the exhaustion, her combat skin compensating for her lack of rest though she was too filled with anxiety and fear to succumb to sleep regardless.

Storm was broken from her thoughts as Bumblebee drove towards Sam's college with haste, the Autobot scout pulling up towards the entrance of a building from which Storm could hear blaring music.

She barked out a laugh as he parked, one eyebrow raised in amusement towards the dashboard of his alt-mode as she spoke. The Autobot scout had parked on top of a bush. "Nice parking job, Bee...Seriously, where the hell did you learn to drive? Grand Theft Auto?"

She heard a warbled laugh emerge from the radio due to her video game referrence, causing her to snicker in response before patting the dashboard lightly with her right hand and speaking. "Well, come on, Bee. If Sam is in there like you seem to think then we haven't got all day to wait on him to come out. At least honk the horn or something to get his attention."

Bumblebee wasted no time in doing as Storm had asked, gathering Sam's attention and everyone else's, as well. However, it seemed he had chose the "something" option as instead of honking his horn, the yellow scout had activated his theft deterrent system.

Storm quickly shielded her ears with her hands, attempting to protect her highly sensitive Forerunner eardrums from the sound.

Once it had finally stopped, Storm removed her hands from her head, looking towards the dashboard before yelling out at Bumblebee in a joking manner. "What the hell, Bee! I told you to honk the horn, not go full on banshee and destroy my eardrums!"

Her comments earned her another laugh from the radio. She slapped the dashboard lightly in response, her attention soon being drawn to the building before her by a figure emerging from it with haste.

She looked up to meet the figure and a smile plastered itself on her face. It was Sam. Storm quickly rolled down her window, leaning out of it to wave at a wide-eyed and obviously dumb-founded Sam. "Get your scrawny-ass over here, Samantha! We need to talk! ASAP!"

Sam qucikly ran over to Storm as a pair of humans emerged from the building behind him. They appeared furious as they yelled, obviously angered by Bumblebee's ear piercing noises. "Freshman! Is that your car in our bushes?"

Storm narrowed her eyes at the humans in anger as Sam shook his head, stuttering out a sarcastic response. "N-no, there's a friend of mine, he just went to get you a tighter shirt."

Storm almost lost it due to Sam's comments but somehow manage to keep her internal composure. Her outward composure, however, was an entirely different story. She was straining to try and withold the laughter that so desperately wished to escape, causing her face to flush red.

Sam didn't miss this. He looked down to his friend, his expression filled with amusement. However, this amusement was short lived, the emotion fading as he heard the irate pair behind him respond to his comments. "There isn't a tighter shirt! We checked. Now, how about I park my foot in your ass?"

Sam responded to the arrogant male with sarcasm. "What size shoe do you wear?"

Storm couldn't take it anymore. She dropped her head onto Bumblebee's steering wheel with force, full blown laughter emerging from her. Her friend had obviously picked up on her sarcasm.

She continued to laugh, only stopping once Sam opened the driver's side door and began to usher Storm out. She did as he was asking of her, climbing into the back seating awkwardly from between the front as she wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes.

She breathed in deep to replace her lost oxygen as Sam sat down and shut the door behind him, failing to notice Leo whom had ran out of the building until the boy was already at his side and speaking. "You have a ride? Bro, why are you holding out on us?"

Sam looked to Leo in disbelief. "I've literally only known you for _two_ days."

Leo ignored what Sam had said, smiling and shaking his head. "This is really going to change our lives. You have no idea."

Storm narrowed her eyes at Leo. Their lives? Who did this human think he was? He was far to presumptious in his statement in that it would change "their" lives. Leo wasn't even invloved in this equation, as far as she was concerned.

Upon hearing a soft-spoken female voice coming from the open passenger side window, Storm turned her head. The hairs on her arms immediately stood on end in a sub-conscious response at who she saw before her. It was the female which Storm had kept a close eye on when she first came with Sam to his college.

The woman's eyes were still void of emotion and life just as the last time she'd seen her. The un-known female was even still wearing the hideous pastel blue dress which Storm had seen her in upon them first meeting.

A low-frequencied clicking sound came from the back of Storm's throat as she stared at the suspicious female over the front seating whilst she spoke, doing so with an obvious tone of flirtation. "I _love_ Camaro's"

Sam sighed heavily, turning in his seat and pointing to the woman. "Look, Alice. I can't do this right now, okay?"

The woman didn't take the obvious implication for her to leave as an answer. She opened the passenger side door despite Sam's protests, inviting herself into the vehicle as she responded to him. "Don't be a wimp."

Storm snorted out in annoyance as the woman sat down and shut the door behind her, speaking lowly in Alice's direction from the back seat with a venom filled tone; assuming that she wouldn't hear her. "How about you kindly aquaint your face with a brick, _Alice_?"

Despite Storm's low tone, it seem that Alice had heard her snide remark, flinching in response before looking into the rear-view mirror at her with an enraged expression.

The Forerunner simply shrugged her shoulders at the woman, sticking her tongue out childishly towards the rear-view mirror knowing very well that Alice could see her taunting actions.

Sam turned the Camaro around on it's axis with defeat, driving off towards the road as Alice continued to try and flirt with Sam. The petite woman's attempts fell on deaf ears, however, as Sam was having none of it.

Storm chuckled under her breath at the woman's ill-fated attempts. Alice deserved commendations for trying at the very least. However, Storm knew better of her friend. He wasn't one to betray his significant other no matter how much temptation was involved.

Despite this, the woman continued in her efforts. Storm watched the woman closely from her place in the back seat, keeping her eyes trained on her even as she began to trail a hand up her leg and to the hem of her dress suggestively in tandem with her comments. "You know, my dad's first car was a Camaro. Fuel-injected. The roar of the engine... _it just tickles me_."

Storm began making very loud and obviously exaggerated gagging noises from where she was seated upon hearing this. She knew that she shouldn't be, but she was desperately trying to anger Alice as much as she could manage. She figured that since she had already started, then it was go big or go home by this point.

Sam vehemently shook his head as he tried to avoid Alice's obvious attempts to seduce him, keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead as he responded to her though struggling to do so. "We shouldn't stare- I mean, share...We shoudn't share stories with each other. Like, at all."

Alice smirked, knowing she was having an effect on the boy. "Come on, Sam. Just _one_ ride."

Storm didn't miss the underlying tone of mischief in the female's voice, easily able to understand that Alice's comments were a euphimism for more than just a simple "ride" in Bumblebee.

No sooner after Alice had said this, Bumblebee's radio began to stutter, playing a song that referrenced to a cheating heart. Sam desperately began to plead with the Autobot scout under his breath for him to cease his highly suspicious actions but it seemed he couldn't resist, proceeding to play another song that referred to a woman being a "freak" as he shook the passenger seat lightly.

Storm couldn't help but smile, feeling herself swell with pride over Bumblebee's actions. The yellow scout was a bot after her own heart.

Alice was not so amused, however. She gave Sam an un-amused look, moving a strand of hair behind her ear as she spoke with annoyance. "Is your radio broken?"

Sam answered her, desperately trying to keep his gaze trained away from Alice's still very inappropriately raised dress hem. "No, but my concentration is."

Upon hearing Sam's response, Alice's expression shifted to one of pride. It seemed she enjoyed the reaction she was eliciting from the boy. "Don't worry. We're not cheating... _Not yet_."

The passenger seat once again began to shake, visibly startling Alice whilst Storm shot a knowing smirk towards the woman that went un-seen by her. No way in _hell_ was Bumblebee going to let this woman jeopardize what Sam had with Mikaela.

Sam had went to apologize for Bumblebee's actions, but didn't have the chance. The passenger seat once again began to shake, doing so violently this time. It was the precursor to Alice's face being slammed roughly into the dashboard in front of her.

Sam recoiled back, mortified by what Bumblebee had done; this emotion etched deep into his features. Storm, however, did not share in the chestnut-haired boy's mortification. She was amused.

Storm burst out in hysterical laughter, flailing her legs from where she was seated in the back of the Camaro as her friend began to ask the woman if she was alright though as far as Storm was concerned, Alice had gotten exactly what she deserved.

The disgruntled Alice looked over to Sam whilst holding at her nose with her right hand, her expression deadly and her voice laced with anger. "Is something wrong here?"

Sam once again didn't have a chance to respond to Alice, Bumblebee diving back in for round two of his assault on the woman. He sprayed her in the face with a thick, green substance that Storm couldn't identify, laughing even harder to the point of pain.

She clutched at her stomach in agony though she couldn't stifle her own laughter to stop her pain due to Sam's continuous, frantic screaming as Alice was showered with the seemingly endless supply of the slime-like substance.

The chestnut-haired boy hastily pulled over on the side of the road, the squealing of tires accentuating this. He opened the driver's side door quickly, un-able to hide the look of disgust plastered on his face as he peeled himself out of the car carefully, all the while yelling out in horror. "Oh, God! It's in my mouth!"

Storm finally managed to stop laughing, sucking in deep breaths to replace her lost oxygen as she watched on with amusement as a now soaked Alice climbed out of the car in defeat.

Once Alice was out of her path, Storm climbed up in-between the front seats, cautiously avoiding the slime-coated passenger seat as made her way into the driver's seat.

A previously absent Sam soon returned after she had sat down, running back towards the car with a mass of disposable towels in hand, Alice nowhere to be seen. The chestnut-haired boy wiped down Bumblebee's interior thoroughly, throwing away the now saturated towels in a nearby trash bin before returning back to the Camaro.

He sat down in the passenger side seat, shutting the door behind him and placing his seatbelt over his body before speaking up to Storm in a question. "What is _so_ important that you had to come steal me away from my second day at college, Stormy?"

Storm shook her head in response as Bumblebee drove away towards their chosen rendezvous point with the Autobot leader. "We're bringing you to Optimus. He'll explain everything once we get there, Sam."

Though Sam was un-satisfied with her answer, he accepted Storm's vague response. He lazily slumped back into his seat as he reluctantly resigned himself to the fact that if he wanted the answer to his question, he would have no choice but to wait.

As they drove, lost to his own thoughts, Sam couldn't help but feel a pit of anger well up inside him.

Life just couldn't seem to cut him a break.

* * *

 **Alright, this chapter is beginning to get pretty long so you guys know the drill. It's getting spit up into two chapters.**

 **I hate to do it like that because I find this to be one of my better chapters (one which I was excited to start writing), but given the direction this chapter will soon be going, I feel like it'd be best to carry the rest over to a whole other chapter so that way it doesn't feel too weird, I guess.**

 **There's going to be some sad stuff coming up so I feel like the next chapter should focus around that mood instead of transitioning from happy/funny to sad. It just doesn't feel appropriate.**

 **Also, if anyone was worried about The Warden not getting enough "show-time", that's about to change. With the beginning of this story I kind of wanted it to focus more on Storm's relationship with Sam and the Autobots because she "technically" already has a relationship with Eternal but given that she was hiding out in secret (after her duty with the UNSC which will be covered later), The Warden couldn't exactly be around for obvious security reasons.**

 **So, all of you will be seeing a lot more of him very soon.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	35. Chapter 35

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Alright, everyone, I am back after my long, sudden absence.**

 **I know it was probably strange to see me just up and disappear. I ended up getting very sick and once I finally started to recover, an unfortunate family tragedy happened.**

 **As I'm sure you all know by now, certain brands of dog food have been recalled due to excessive amounts of vitamin D. It just so happens that one of the bags of dog food we had in our home would soon be placed under this recall notice...However, it wasn't officially announced as being recalled until the day after it claimed the life of one of my dogs, Orion. By the time we knew, it was obviously far too late.**

 **I know you will all understand why I didn't upload for awhile and hopefully why this chapter is rather short, but I wanted to give you guy's/girl's something.**

* * *

Once they had arrived at the cemetary, Storm hastily made her exit from Bumblebee's alt -mode to follow after her irate friend, watching as the boy threw his hands up in the air with exasperation; yelling up towards the Autobot leader whom was now coming into view of the pair. "What are you doing? You won't even give me a week, huh? Not even _one_ week to get settled into college."

Storm couldn't help but sigh as she registered Sam's furious tone. However, his anger was justified. The boy had barely been at college for a few days and yet there was already another Decepticon emergency. One that put him in immediate danger.

She walked past her friend towards Optimus to stand at his side, leaning up against his metal leg as Sam berated the Autobot leader.

However, Optimus didn't outwardly seem phased by the boy and his anger-induced comments. He simply sighed, expelling heated air through the vents of his metallic face. "I apologize, Sam...But the last fragment of the All-Spark has been stolen."

The chestnut-haired boy immediately ceased in his tirade against the Autobot leader, his expression shifting from one of anger to utter shock. "Like what?...Like the Decepticons stole it?"

Optimus nodded to the boy in confirmation of the question. "Indeed. We had placed it under human protection per your government's request; but I am here for your help, Sam, because your leader's believe that we have brought vengeance upon your planet...Perhaps they are right. This is why they must be reminded by another of human of the trust we share."

Sam quickly shook his head in denial of Optimus' implications. "This isn't my war."

For the first time since their arrival, Storm spoke up, doing so in defense of Optimus as she moved away from his leg. "Maybe not, Sam. But _you_ killed Megatron and if the Decepticons plan on using the shard for what we think, then you're in just as much danger as everyone on this planet, if not more so."

Optimus looked down to Storm, nodding in agreement with her statements before turning his gaze upward back towards Sam. "Tempest is correct, Sam. This is not yet your war...but I fear it soon will be. Your word _must not_ share the same fate as Cybertron...Whole generations lost."

Sam was clearly overwhelmed. He began to fidget with his hands, a sign Storm recognized all too well from his childhood. In tandem with this, the boy began to speak; stuttering slightly as he did so. "I- I know, and I want to help you. Both of you...But I'm a normal kid with normal problems! I am where I'm _supposed_ to be. I don't want anything to do with all of this alien stuff!"

Those words struck Storm like a knife through her heart, the breath feeling as if it'd been forcefully knocked from her lungs.

She focused her gaze on Sam, her eyes now widened with hurt; sounding slightly breathless as she spoke out to him softly with a question. "Even me, Sam?"

The chestnut-haired boy averted his gaze towards the ground with guilt upon seeing Storm's pained expression. He hadn't intended to hurt her, but he'd meant what he said. "I...I'm sorry, Stormy. I really am. But I just want to feel normal for once...like before when I didn't know aliens existed."

Sam's comments only furthered the heavy, painful, clenching sensation in Storm's chest. The boy had made his wants very clear to both her and Optimus. He didn't want anything to do with this situation, and that meant he didn't want anything to do with her, either.

Storm averted her gaze towards the ground beneath her, hoping to hide the tears that were threatening to spill over from her friend.

It was within his right to have the life he desired, even if it meant that Storm be absent from it so that he could acheive it...And she would never stand in the way of that.

Storm tried to contain her emotions, attempting to hide them from Sam. But Optimus could never miss the way her stance had changed. She was holding her arms close to her body, her breathing ragged and her body visibly shaking; even if only slightly.

Optimus removed his concerned gaze from Storm, directing it towards Sam. The Autobot leader attempted to hide his change in expression, hoping that the boy wouldn't be able to see the emotion on his face as he spoke. _Disappointment_. "Sam...fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing."

Those words did nothing to alleviate Sam's current guilt...They were the same one's he'd heard from Storm when he'd become overwhelmed in Mission City. The same one's she'd told him that gave him the courage to fight.

Sam turned his back to Optimus, knowing that he could do nothing to remedy the situation he'd caused. He had hurt his best friend and had betrayed the trust the Autobot leader held for him with his brutal honesty and anger induced comments.

He began to walk away towards Bumblebee whom was still waiting in his alt-mode, throwing his hand over his shoulder. "You're Optimus Prime...You don't need me."

Despite Sam's inability to see it, Optimus shook his head to the boy, mumbling out to him under his metaphorical breath in response. However, it wasn't for himself. It was in sympathy of Storm. "We do, more than you know..."

The chestnut-haired boy didn't understand how wrong he was in this moment. The Autobot leader did in fact need him, but Storm needed him more; and Sam had no idea just how much he'd hurt the small Forerunner.

The Autobot leader watched on blankly as Sam left, Bumblebee whisking him back off to college for him to live the normal life he so desired.

He continued to watch until they were gone from sight, directing his attention down towards Storm once they were gone.

He took immediate notice that she was no longer shaking. However, she hadn't moved from her spot. Her gaze still locked to the ground, her arms still pulled in closely towards her torso.

The Autobot leader gently kneeled down to Storm, slowly raising his metal hand to her and placing a large finger beneath her chin. He raised her head to look up at him. Her face was stained with tears and her cheeks flushed red.

He felt his spark begin to fluctuate, begging it's owner to cradle the hurting female close to him but he resisted. Storm was in a fragile state, one he didn't wish to exacerbate. He would have to be careful with her.

Optimus slowly removed his large, metal finger from underneath Storm's chin, moving it cautiously behind Storm's back before proceeding to stroke it gently in a gesture of comfort as he spoke; choosing his words carefully. "What would you devise we do now, Tempest?"

Storm shook her head as she wiped her face, responding to Optimus' question with a deep sorrow he'd never before heard from the female. "I just want to go home...To NEST. With all of you and The Warden."

Optimus obliged the woman, proceeding to do as she'd asked of him. He slowly stood up from over her, walking out towards the road before transforming down to his alt-mode, Storm closely in tow behind him.

The Autobot leader popped open his passenger side door for Storm and she climbed in, neither of them saying a word as Optimus shut the door behind her, strapping his seatbelt over her protectively as he activated his holoform.

He proceeded off onto the main road, keeping a close eye on Storm as he drove to the warehouse. She hadn't said a word, her stare blank and trained ahead of her. Her pale, human in appearence skin still flushed red. She was emotionally broken and Sam was the cause.

However, he said nothing, remaining silent with Storm even as they pulled in to the warehouse where much to his surprise, The Warden was already waiting for them. It seemed that Storm must have contacted him through her Ancilla, something that up until this point he'd believed could only be accesed via her armor. Apparently he'd been wrong.

Optimus parked, releasing Storm from her hold that was his seatbelt before opening the passenger side door for her. He watched her as she exited, not missing the stumble in her gait as she did so.

Once she was far enough away, he deactivated his holoform, transforming up to his bi-pedal as they waited for Bumblebee to return.

He didn't miss the look of concern on the Promethean titan's face as he did this. It seemed even he had noticed her change in demeanor, but Storm wasn't talking.

She simply placed a fake smile on her face in response to The Warden's concerns, assuring him that she was fine despite him knowing otherwise. She didn't want to burden him. However, her emotions were written all over her face.

The Warden backed off in his questioning, knowing that when his leader was ready to talk, she would come to him of her own volition.

The roaring of an engine soon drew the the group's attention to the entrance of the warehouse. Bumblebee had arrived, back from leaving Sam to the life he'd chosen for himself. The life he'd all but abandoned Storm for.

She watched as Bumblebee pulled up before her and Optimus, transforming up to his bi-pedal mode before looking down to Storm, chirping to her with audible concern as he poked her lightly in the stomach. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed that she couldn't hide her emotions.

A soft smile placed itself on Storm's face in response to this, earning her excited chirps from the Autobot scout before she turned to face The Warden. She was appreciative of his concern for her.

She turned to face The Warden, dropping her human appearence before phasing on her personal armor, including her protective mask.

The Promethean titan nodded to her in understanding, walking over to Bumblebee and gripping him tight as Storm activated the gravitational manipulator of her suit.

She floated up to Optimus chest, grabbing onto the armor above his spark carefully as she willed open a slip-space portal. She rested her head against it lazily, listening to the slow, rythmic thrum of his spark as the portal enveloped them; whisking them away to NEST. To _home_.

...

The pair were dropped out onto the familiar tarmac of NEST, Bumblebee and The Warden waiting close by in anticipation of their arrival. She could feel their eyes on her as Optimus covered her armored back with a large metal hand.

Whether for comfort or protection from their prying gazes, Storm didn't know nor did she care. She was exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally. The kind of exhaustion even her Ancilla couldn't compensate for.

She looked over to the pair as she spoke, soon directing her masked gaze towards Optimus with a question. "I...I'd like to rest for the remainder of the evening. Would you take me to my quarters, Optimus?"

The Autobot leader looked down to Storm, nodding to her in affirmation. The Forerunner needed rest, something she had been without for two Earth day's.

He set off on his way towards the Forerunenr/Promethean hangar, cradling the emotionally fragile woman to his chest. She buried herself into the metal, between the armored plating as if trying to reach his spark itself, desperate for the warmth it provided.

He continued to hold her close, only relenquishing Storm from his hold once he'd reached her quarters. He gently pulled her back from his chest and she looked up to him, the orange light from her mask shining brightly against his metal features.

He placed her gently onto the ground before kneeling down in front of her, genuinely surprised by the Forerunner's next actions.

She approached him, wrapping her armor clad arms around his neck to the best of her ability; holding onto him tightly as if he were the only object keeping her tethered to this planet.

Optimus returned the gesture, pressing the female firmly against him but doing so carefully so as to not harm her, only letting go once Storm had.

He watched the female silently as she turned around, opening the door to her quarters before disappearing behind it.

He waited a few moments before leaving, doing so to assure his own spark that the female was alright, simply needing time to rest and process the day along with her emotions.

Hearing nothing from the other side of the door, he proceeded onward to the Autobot hangar, finding that Lennox was already there and waiting for him on the metal platform in it's center; a serious expression on his face.

The NEST Major waited for the Autobot leader's approach before speaking up to him in question. "Where's Sam? And where's Storm?"

Optimus shook his head to the man. "Sam has expressed that he will no longer ally with us...nor associate."

It seemed that Lennox understood what Optimus was saying, understanding now why Storm was absent. He slammed his clipboard down on a metal table behind him as he cursed underneath his breath, rubbing his hands down his face with stress. Something that wasn't normally like the NEST Major.

Optimus leaned in closer to the metal platform, tilting his head to Lennox with concern. "Is something wrong, Major Lennox?"

Lennox scoffed. "Yeah, you could say that...It would seem that Storm's suspicions over what the Decepticons wanted the All-Spark shard for were correct."

A rush of worry shot through Optimus, his optics narrowing as he spoke. " Do you mean-"

The Autobot leader didn't have a chance to finish his question, being cut off by a very visibly upset Lennox speaking through gritted teeth. "The Decepticons followed through with an attack on the Laurentian Abyss not long after you and Storm left...They revived Megatron."

* * *

 **I'm** ** _so_** **sorry you guys had to wait for another chapter but honestly, I wasn't in the right mental or emotional state to be able to write.**

 **I had tried multiple times to release this chapter but due to the emotional nature of it, it was rather hard and I simply couldn't given the earlier mentioned circumstances. So, I decided to take a long, extended break, only coming back to it once I felt able to write.**

 **I promise you all, though, I haven't given up on this story.**

 **I'm kind of iffy about this chapter but I believe it's because I haven't written in so long so I'm just going to accept it and upload anyways. If I still don't like it in a few days, I can just rewrite it.**

 **Despite this, I hope you enjoyed this chapter (albeit short) and thank you for reading.**

 **(If this chapter has a lot of typos, I'm sorry. I have a new computer now and it's larger so the keys are much further apart and I haven't learned the layout yet.)**


	36. Chapter 36

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **If this chapter gets out late, I apologize. I've been pretty well addicted to Super Mario Odyssey as of late even though I know I should probably take a break from it. (That game turns me into a freaking rage monster sometimes.)**

 **While I was away though, I received a couple of reviews and figured I'd adress them here as usual.**

 **In response to the first review, yes, I have realized that I use the word "which" too much, haha. I've been trying to lessen my usage of the word but I guess it's a difficult habit to break. I will continue to work on it.**

 **I was also advised not to speak in "passive voice" as much. Honestly, as embarrassing as it is to say, I'm not sure I understand what that is. I had tried researching into what it was but was left none the wiser on the subject. This could be because everytime I tried to research it was before bed when my mind was fogged over with sleep, but I'm not entirely sure. However, I will continue to delve into the subject.**

 **In response to the second review, yes, my OC's name was orginally Amara in my first adaptation of this story. As I explained in the first chapter's AN's, I slowly came to dislike the name and decided to change it. I prefer Storm/Tempest much, much more.**

* * *

The tension within Storm's quarters were thick, her eyes locked on to the Autobot leader seated on the bed just before her in his holoform.

She could barely process the information he'd just given her. Storm had been correct and for once, she wished she hadn't been. General Morshower and his men had been attacked by the Decepticons in their attempts to prevent Megatron from being revived though they were un-successful.

The tyranical faction leader had been brought back from the Well of Sparks and despite the human military's best attempts, using all of their orbital satellites, audio monitoring facilities and endless cameras positioned around the planet, Megatron was nowhere to be found.

She felt to blame and the guilt was etched into her features, the many what-if's wracking her brain with torment. She could have stopped this. Had she taken the All-Spark shard to Requiem, none of this would have happened. The humans would be safe and the Decepticons all but a fleeting memory.

Optimus hadn't missed the change in the Forerunner woman's expression. He stood to approach her, hoping to reassure Storm in her obvious worries though he was stopped at her side by the abrupt sound of Jazz contacting him via his internal communication systems. Lennox was requesting both he and Storm, and he had news involving the Decepticon attack on the Laurentian Abyss.

The Autobot leader placed a hand onto Storm's armored shoulder as he spoke to her. "Lennox has requested our presence, Tempest. He has news regarding the Decepticon attack...Will you be alright?"

Storm nodded to Optimus in response. "Yeah...I'll be alright. Let's just get this over with."

The Autobot leader deactivated his holoform with a flourish a blue particles and Storm passed through them, taking in the faint tingling sensation upon the surface of her armor as she proceeded onward towards the door of her quarters.

She could hear the sounds of shifting metal just outside as she placed her armored hand onto her doorknob, opening it to reveal familiar red and blue flame decorated metal kneeled down onto one knee in the last stages of it's transformation.

She looked up, her eyes being met with deep blue optics that were already looking down at her as Optimus held out his hand to her. Storm contemplated the idea for a few moments before taking the Autobot leader up on his offer. She was tired, having barely gotten any sleep due to her own thoughts despite her efforts and she was sure that it showed.

Storm climbed into Optimus' open palm gently, sitting down on it's surface, knees pulled in toward her armored chest as she prepared mentally for her conversation with Lennox.

The flame decorated leader slowly stood, carrying Storm along with him towards the Autobot hangar in silence, soon walking inside it's large expanse. The Autobot hangar was just as quiet, the only thing to be heard being the sounds of Optimus' metal feet hitting the concrete ground as he made his way toward the metal platform in it's center where Lennox was standing.

Once at the metal platform, Optimus raised his free hand, using a large, metal finger to poke Lennox gently in the back to gather the man's attention away from his data pad.

As he turned around, Storm caught a small glimpse of the screen of his data pad. She immediately felt sick, her blood running cold. A portion of it had said "casualty report".

This is why Lennox had requested them, to give them the official report on how many had perished in battle with the Decepticons.

The NEST Major's eyes immediately locked on to Storm as he turned around, her expression blank as she spoke to him with a question; trying to supress the bile she felt rising in the back of her throat. "You requested us, Lennox?"

The man nodded to her. "I- uh...I have news for you. The both of you."

Storm's mouth went dry as Lennox said these words. She licked her lip, hoping to replace their moisture before she hesitantly responded to him. "...What is it?"

The man sighed, looking down at the data pad held securely within his hands before answering her. "Well, I was just sent over the casualty report for yesterday from our higher-up's. It seems that luckily, only twelve people suffered fatally. A very small number when you take into account that there were several thousand people in that entire area."

The NEST Major paused, swiping on the screen of his data pad before turning it to show Storm an image of a damaged naval vessel on the screen and continuing to speak. "The area the Decepticons destroyed during their ascent from the ocean floor was for the most part vacant, thankfully, as it was a large stoarge area. A lot of nautical equipment was destroyed, but that can be replaced. Human lives can't."

Storm released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, feeling relieved that there had been so few human casualties. However, there was one person in specific she was concerned for. "What about General Morshower?...Is he...?"

Lennox smiled to Storm, happily responding to her question. "Dead? No. He's very much alive and well, thankfully. Due to your early warning, mostly everyone was able to survive the attack."

Lennox's words only furthered Storm's relief. Earlier, she had felt herself the reason for many people dying when in reality, she may have been the force that had saved them. It made the burden she was carrying lessen from her shoulders and though human lives had been lost, it had been far fewer than she had expected.

She looked to Lennox, a smile placing itself on her face for the first time in days as she spoke to him. "Thank you, Lennox. It brings me relief to know that the situation didn't end as bad as it possibly could have."

Lennox leaned over the railing towards Storm, patting her lightly on the arm in reasurrance. "We told you it wasn't your fault, Stormy. You're just too stubborn to take anyone's word for it."

Storm rubbed at the back of her neck as she chuckled lightly. "I can't help it. If I wasn't a pain in the ass all the time everyone would think there was something wrong with me."

Both Lennox and Optimus laughed at the Forerunner's statements. She was definitely right in what she'd said. If Storm were any different, she wouldn't be the person they'd all become so fond of and neither of them could imagine her any other way. They preferred her just as she was.

Once the Forerunner's body language had relaxed, The NEST Major dismissed the pair of alien leader's. He had an upcoming video call with General Morshower regarding their next course of action against the Decepticons. The attack had become a deeply personal matter for everyone on base.

Storm simply nodded to Lennox as did Optimus. Neither wished to interfere in the man's duties.

The Autobot leader turned away from the metal platform, walking out of the Autobot hangar as he looked down to the Forerunner female within his gentle grasp and spoke to her with a question; leaving Lennox to his prior obligations. "Are you feeling more at ease now, Tempest?"

Storm leaned her head back to look up at Optimus, giving him a soft smile. "Yes, actually. It makes me feel slightly more at ease knowing that my warning helped save many...However, I do feel sympathy for the families of those who perished."

The Autobot leader nodded sadly in agreement with Storm. Much like Cybertronians, humans bonded deeply with those in their family unit, often never recovering from the severing of a relationship so strong; even more so if their loved one's were taken forcefully by outside influence.

It was something they shared despite their biological differences. However, he knew that the humans would honor their fallen with utmost respect, just as his people would with one of their own.

As he walked, Optimus took note of Storm's silence. He looked down to her, taking notice of her distant gaze. It seemed that she was deep in thought, un-aware of his current gaze.

He spoke up to her with a question, pulling the woman out of her previously distracted state. "What would you like to do now, Tempest?"

Storm turned her attention up towards Optimus, her expression giving away her pondering of his question; her answer following several moments later. "How about we go to the rec-room? I've been wanting to see it after it was re-modeled a few weeks back. I haven't had the time to do so unfortunately with all of this Decepticon buisness going on."

Optimus nodded in agreement with Storm's decision, proceeding onward towards the other end of NEST where their destination was located and thankfully, it didn't take long given the Autobot leader's long strides.

Storm politely asked Optimus to place her down on the tarmac and he did so. The excitement quickly began to rush her through as she set off towards the entrance of the rec-room, soon stopping in her place with confusion upon noticing the absence of footsteps behind her.

She slowly turned around, finding that Optimus was still standing in his spot with his expression mimicking hers.

She raised an eyebrow to the metal leader, speaking to him in a mixture of confusion and curiousity. "Uh, Optimus?...Why are you still standing there?"

Optimus looked down at her, the tone of his voice mimicking his current expression. "I...do not understand how I am supposed to get inside. I'm afraid I am far too large."

Storm continued to stare up at Optimus after hearing his response, one eyebrow remaining raised. Was Optimus joking with her?

She waited for the punchline, waiting for the shift in his metal features that would indicate that he was pulling her leg. However, nothing changed. The Autobot leader remained as he was, his expression still one of complete perplexion.

Storm bursted out in un-restrained laughter though she quickly composed herself, looking up to Optimus as she rested her hands on her armored hips with amusement. "What do you mean you don't know how you're going to get in there? You haven't already forgotten about your holoform, have you?"

Optimus chuckled to himself lightly. It seemed that he had indeed forgotten about his holoform. However, it made sense to Storm as to why he had forgotten about the device. After all, she had always stressed to him that she preferred him in his bi-pedal form as he truly was.

She watched as the Autobot leader transformed down to his alt-mode, activating his holoform within his truck cab before emerging onto the tarmac.

Storm quickly ran over to him, grabbing his holoform by the hand before leading him with her hastily towards the rec-room, throwing the door open with reckless abandon. She let out an excited squeal of joy at what she saw, causing Optimus to chuckle.

There were a myriad of arcade machines around her as well as every video game console one could ask for. It was every she could hope for and more.

Storm ran over to one of the many arcade machines, feeling thankful that there was virtually no one in the rec room with her. She wouldn't have to share and she could only think to herself in that moment that this would be one of the only perks to her waking up early every morning.

Optimus followed after the eager Forerunner with amusement. He stopped just behind her, watching intently as she controlled a small, yellow sprite on screen, seemingly devouring the round, white objects in her path.

It was a confusing concept to him, this confusion only being furthered as he watched the formerly multi-colored sprites on screen that were chasing after her begin shifting between blue and white, causing him to speak out in question of her as to the objective of what she was doing. "Why did those digital sprites begin flashing?"

Optimus' sudden question had suprised Storm, causing her to lose her focus and die on the game. She cursed under her breath in her native, alien language as that had been her last life. She had never been good at the game, but it was the first she'd been introduced to after arriving on Earth and it held a special place in her heart.

Once she had finished expressing her anger, Storm tunred to face Optimus, one eyebrow raised to him questioningly. "Because they're supposed to do that, Optimus. Have you never hear of Pac-Man before?"

Optimus simply shook his head to Storm and she was astonished by his response to say the least. She walked around Optimus, pushing him forward towards the arcade machine with her armored hands as she spoke. She was going to educate the Autobot leader on her favorite hobby. "Time for a lesson in video games, Prime."

She attempted to direct the Autobot leader on how to play though he had no idea what he was doing and it showed. Storm walked up directly behind Optimus, the armored front of her body pressed closely against his back as she grabbed his hands from around his body. She guided his hands towards the buttons and joy-stick of the machine, her much smaller hands placed over his for her to guide him.

She pressed the button on the machine to start a game as she peaked around Optimus' much larger form. It probably looked ridiculous to the few humans that were within the rec-room alongside them though Storm ignored this thought. She really didn't care.

She began to guide the Autobot through the motions, explaining to him how to play as he watched the screen. It was hard for him to pay attention, however, as all Optimus could focus on were the fast pulsations of his racing spark due to Storm's close proximity.

Her armor was warm and she had never been so close to his holoform as she was now, the rough Forerunner metal covering her chest pressed firmly into him.

Their bodies were touching in a way they never before had and it was highly distracting. Storm took no notice, however, thankfully too enamored with the game the small Forerunner was attempting to show him to pay attention to change in his body language.

When that round was over, Storm backed away from Optimus, allowing him to try it for himself this time. He humored her, ignoring the protests of his spark due to her lack of physical contact with him to play the game she had so graciously taken the time to teach him.

As Storm watched him play, she was filled with surprise. Optimus was rather good at the game, most definitely better than her at it in every way. It was almost enough to make her envious as he continued on, only ruining his winning streak once she had rested her armored hand onto his right shoulder. Her touch had obviously distracted him.

Storm laughed lightly at the Autobot leader, gently taking his hand and leading him over to a couch that was stationed in front of the many gaming consoles she had seen earlier and a rather large television.

She sat down onto the plush surface of the furniture, patting the open space beside her as she propped up her amored legs. Optimus obliged, sitting beside the female as she turned on a gaming console and began browsing it's large selection of games.

She soon decided on her game of choice, starting it up wth Optimus watching intently as it loaded, only tearing his eyes away as he saw Storm looking at him from his peripheral.

She wiggled her eyebrows to him playfully as she spoke. "And now I get to impress you with how far video game graphics have come."

Optimus chuckled to the Forerunner beside him as he turned his attention back towards the large screen before him. He was indeed impressed, the graphics being starkly different compared to the game he had played moments ago with Storm.

He quickly became enamored with the story, finding irony in the game Storm had chosen to play. It detailed the story of a human developing friendship with a sentient war machine they'd been granted under unfortunate circumstances.

Though Optimus' situation was different, he was, by human classification, a sentient machine. Similarly, he had met Storm under unfortunate circumstances, having developed a bond with her in the same fashion. Through war and sacrifice.

However, the relationship of the characters playing out before him was purely platanonic, and Optimus desired more...He wanted Storm as his mate and it seemed that his spark shared in it's approval of this thought.

His holoform began to emit a high-pitched grinding noise, one that was far out of the hearing range of any human but unfortunately, not Storm's.

She appearead visibly startled by the noise, looking over at Optimus in a mixture of shock and worry as she spoke. "...Are you okay, Optimus?"

He nodded to her with a smile of reassurance, hoping to avoid the noise he'd just emitted and the topic all together. "Yes. I am fine."

Storm didn't believe what the Autobot leader had said for even a second. This was the second time she had heard his holoform making abnormal noises and she knew there was something going on that he wasn't telling her. "Are you sure? Because that noise didn't sound _fine_ to me and I haven't heard any of the other Autobots holoform making noises like that."

Optimus once again denied anything being wrong, assuring Storm that he was fine though he could see it in Storm's eyes that she didn't believe him. She was suspicious. However, she accepted Optimus' answer, not wanting to pressure him into giving her an answer.

Instead, she stood from her place, shutting off the gaming console and television before taking Optimus by the hand once again.

She led him over to a dart board that was across the rec-room, letting go of his hand in search of the darts that belonged to it.

She found them in a container resting on a table close by and grabbed all of them, walking back towards Optimus and handing him half of them. He looked down to them in confusion causing Storm to chuckle.

She took one from his hand, placing it into his empty one before potining to the wall where the dart board rested, directing the Autobot leader's attention there.

"Alright. For this game, you're supposed to throw these darts-" Storm said, gesturing to her full hand that held her share of darts and then to the wall. "-And then throw them as close as you can to that red dot in the center of the board. Pretty simple, right?"

Optimus shook his head in agreement with Storm despite him being un-sure. Storm had noticed this. She took one of her own darts, throwing it towards the board as an example. It landed close to the red dot she'd told him to aim for.

Believing he understood the concept now, Optimus raised the lone dart Storm had placed in his free hand, copying her movements and how she'd held her dart before throwing it. His throw had not been as graceful as her's, however, as he had thrown his dart straight through the wall to the left of the board.

Storm belted out in girlish laughter. "Oh my God, Optimus! You threw it straight through the wall!"

The Autobot leader felt embarrasment over his accidental blunder as Storm layed a clawed hand on his shoulder whilst speaking. It was an emotion that wasn't familiar to him. "I hate to say it, big guy, but I don't think darts is a game that's made for you."

The Autobot leader apologized, stating that he didn't know his own strength when it came to his holoform and that was understandable. Optimus was like a newborn child in his holoform, having to learn everything he already knew once again though with a different, more complicated body and perspective.

Storm continued to laugh, trying to reassure Optimus that the damage could be easily fixed when she was interuptted by the sensation of someone tapping her lightly on her armored shoulder to grab her attention.

She turned around, finding that it was a human soldier holding a rather familiar cellphone in hand, the screen lit up indicating that their was an active call...Wasn't that Lennox's cellphone?

The man held out the phone to Storm as he spoke to her. "Sorry for the interupption, Ma'am, but you're being requested on the phone. There's a woman on the other end speaking frantically about someone named Sam."

Storm visibly perked up upon hearing this. She gently took the phone, placing it up to her ear. "Hello?"

The person on the other end of the phone responded to Storm, sounding slightly out of breath. "Storm? Oh, thank God! I've been trying to get ahold of you for the past hour! I had to get Lennox's private number from Sam just to speak to you because everyone I talked to denied knowing you!"

It would seem the person requesting her was Mikaela. Storm turned to look at Optimus, taking note of his concerned expression as she responded to the onyx-haired female. "Sorry, Mikaela. They probably did that for security reasons. What's going on?"

The female on the other end of the phone replied frantically. "I need you to get to Sam's college...Like, right now. I'm on my way there as we speak."

The urgency in Mikaela's voice set Storm on edge, panic rushing through her. She hastily began making her way towards the exit of the rec-room, Optimus following just behind her as she responded to the Mikaela with seriousness. "What's wrong, Mikaela? Is it a Decepticon?"

As Mikaela responded to her, Storm could hear muffled, high-pitched shouting on the other end of the phone as well as clanging metal. "Storm, Sam didn't tell anyone that he's been having seizures ever since he- well...you know what I'm talking about. You were there."

Storm knew exactly what Mikaela was talking about. She was referring to when Sam had found the All-Spark shard in the clothing he'd worn during the battle in Mission City. "I know exactly what you're talking about Mikaela so don't say another word as this isn't a secure line. I'm on my way now."

Storm hastily hung up the phone, turning around and pushing it into Optimus hands as she willed on her protective mask before walking away from him leaving the Autobot leader to chase after her.

Her strides were confident and deadly as threw open the doors to the rec-room with Optimus stuggling to keep up with her pace as he spoke, his voice filled with concern and urgency. "Has there been a Decepticon sighting, Tempest?"

Storm shook her head in denial as she walked, anger lacing her voice. "No. Sam found a shard of the All-Spark hidden within his clothing from Mission City and has been having seizures ever since touching it without telling anyone. I'm going to inform The Warden of what's happening and then I'm leaving to meet Mikaela."

The Autobot leader was shocked hearing this as he'd thought his shard all that remained of his people's relic. He grabbed Storm by the arm to stop her, hoping to keep her from making any hasty decisions. "I'm coming with you, Tempest. We will secure Sam and bring him back here for Ratchet to assess."

Storm removed Optimus' hand from her arm, her voice taking on a soft tone as she placed a clawed hand on the cheek of his holoform. "You can't, Optimus...You'll draw too much attention."

She could see it in the Autobot leader's eyes that he was fearful for her. However, she woud never rely on anyone for her safety. Storm was no princess from human fairytale's of old that needed saving from the all-consuming dragon.

Storm kept her hand where it was as she continued to speak, relishing in the sensation as Optimus place the hand of his holoform atop her armored one. "I'll be fine, Optimus. I promise. I'll send word through The Warden once I have Sam for our retrieval."

Storm proceeded to press her armored forehead to Optimus' seemingly human one, taking in the sensation for several moments before reluctantly pulling back, leaving the Autobot leader void of her previous warmth.

He wished to stop her, but he would never control the Forerunner nor would she have listened. She was far too stubborn for that.

He simply watched her as she walked away from him with haste towards her shared hangar with The Warden and once she was out of sight, he turned away towards the Autobot hangar. Something wasn't right and his spark could sense it.

He wasn't going to let Storm go un-protected, even if it meant his own safety being put at risk.

And he knew his fellow Autobots would feel the same.

* * *

 **Alright, I know I said at the beginning of this chapter that it'd probably end up getting out later than usual because of my new found addiction to Super Mario Odyssey but life decided to throw a wrench in my plans.**

 **Over time, I've** **kept all the rough drafts of my chapters during my first attempt at this story to give me a sort of starting point that I could just build on and improve but when I went open the rough draft for this chapter, half of it was a bunch of garbled letters and symbols. So, I pretty much had to start from scratch on this one.**

 **I don't know if it was corrupted somehow when I pulled it from my other computer and put it on an SD card for use on my new one or what, but I was pretty mad. It didn't keep me down, though.**

 **Despite the weird setback, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**

 **(P.S : Brownie points for anyone who can guess the game Optimus was watching Storm play before his holoform seized out. It's one of my favorites.)**


	37. Chapter 37

**AN: I don't own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Alright, so, before we get started on this chapter, I'd like to let you all know that once this chapter is released, you probably won't see an upload for the week of the 25th and the week after due to the release of the Resident Evil 2 remake.**

 **I've been anticipating it's release for awhile now and I kind of just want to take a small break to play it which I hope you all will understand. The little kid in me who grew up playing the original RE2 is understandably excited.**

 **Now, with that said, let's get into this chapter.**

* * *

Storm made her way towards her destination with haste and purpose. Though Sam had all but abandoned her, she could never abandon him in the same fashion. Especially not when she knew that his life was in danger.

She broke out into a full run due to her building worry, quickly turning a corner into her and The Warden's respective hangar where she spotted the Promethean titan seemingly lost to his own thoughts, arms crossed at his chest. However, he was soon distracted from them by the audible sounds of Storm's armor clad feet running towards him.

His expression shifted to one of confusion, then to concern, his orange, illuminated eyes never leaving her as she ran to his side and began to speak with urgency; sounding slightly breathless. "I need to leave immediately, Eternal. Mikaela called me and Sam is in trouble."

Now he knew why his leader was in such a hurry, the worry she was currently displaying in her posture transferring over to him. Was it an enemy?

"What is wrong?" The Warden asked her.

Storm sighed heavily, running an armored hand down her protective mask. "Sam has been having seizures after touching a shard of the All-Spark he found and hasn't told anyone. I'm going to find him and bring him back here to Ratchet, whether he likes it or not."

Once again, the Promethean titan nodded to Storm. "I understand. I will hold your position until your return."

Storm quickly thanked The Warden before opening a slip-space portal, the coordinates of her destination being the cemetary close to Sam's college.

She crossed her arms over her chest, a clawed hand placed on each shoulder as the portal began to slowly pull her in, her eyes never leaving The Warden as he lowered his arms from over his chest, speaking out to her one last time before she disappeared from his sight. "Be safe, Tempest."

...

Storm was dropped gracefully out into her chosen destination, an un-welcome sensation building in her chest as she was flooded with memories. This place only served to sadden her now due to the emotions attached to it.

However, she had no time to dwell on these negative emotions. She quickly glanced around her, surveying the area for any potential prying eyes before she phased away her protective armor. She began walking towards the road and once she'd reached it, Storm looked both ways for any incoming vehicles before darting across it into an adjacent parking lot.

She stopped in her place, once again looking around her to make sure that no humans would see what she was about to do. She began to check the various cars around her, trying to find one that had been left unlocked but to no avail. She had checked every vehicle with no luck...all except one.

Storm approached the remaning vehicle, holding her breath as she placed her hand on the handle of the driver's side door and pulled...it opened. She let out the breath she'd been holding in relief before sitting down into the seat with haste.

She began to search for the keys high and low, her previous hopes quickly being crushed. They were nowhere to be found. She balled up her fist, hitting the ceiling of the car in anger as she cursed wildly in her native language.

That's when she saw a flash of something shiny above her. Storm looked up, being met with the sight of a silver object partially peaking out at her from the sun visor. It was the key.

She grabbed it from it's place, placing it into the ignition and turning it. She was met with the sound of the car's engine and she smiled to herself. Whether it was simply human forgetfulness or the God's looking out for her, Storm was thankful nontheless.

She shut the driver's side door, placing her seatbelt over her before taking off down the road in the direction of Sam's college.

...

Once Storm arrived and had parked, she began surveying the area with her eyes for Mikaela. The onyx-haired female was nowhere to be seen. It seemed that she'd arrived earlier than the woman given her ability to teleport.

She exited from the vehicle she'd aquired, closing and leaning up against the driver's with her arms crossed over her chest as she waited for Mikaela to arrive. Thankfully enough, the woman arrived not long after, parking her car beside Storm's before exiting and proceeding to grab a strange metal box from the trunk.

Storm followed after the woman as she began walking off towards Sam's building, avoiding humans on their path as they made their way towards Sam's room with Storm immediately noticing that Leo was standing outside for some reason, the door to Sam's room closed.

The onyx-haired female ignored Leo's protests to not open the door as she placed her hand on it's handle, twisting it and opening the door with a smile on her face as she spoke. "Sam, I-"

Mikaela abruptly stopped in her sentence, her expression shifting from one of happiness to heartbreak. This shift drew Storm's attention. She peaked around the woman to see the cause and Storm felt concern for what she saw. Sam's room was covered in crudely drawn Cybertronian symbols and the boy was laying in his bed with Alice on top of him.

The chestnut-haired boy obviously hadn't expected their sudden company, now wide-eyed and stuttering to explain himself.

He wasn't able to finish his sentence, however, as he was interuppted by Alice, the petite female smirking proudly over at Mikaela as she spoke up with a audibly taunting question. "Is that your girlfriend."

Mikaela wasted no time in answering the question for Sam, her voice and expression void of emotion. "Ex."

The onyx-haired female turned away with Storm trying to follow after her, not failing to hear Sam's pleading from within his room for Mikaela not to leave though without success. She decided to let the girl go, no doubt in Storm's mind that she needed to be alone and clear her mind after what she'd just witnessed.

Storm turned back around, angrily stomping back towards Sam room as she yelled at him. "I cannot believe you, Sam! How could you-"

Storm stopped in her sentence as she watched the scene before her play out in horror. Alice's skin had begun to break apart, giving way to a small, metal body. She now understood why she had felt so suspicious of the female now. It was because she was a Decepticon pretender.

The being formerly known as Alice wrapped a long, metal tendril around Sam's neck, cutting off his air supply. Storm narrowed her eyes at the Decepticon as she dropped her camouflage response, phasing on her protective armor to take on the enemy before her.

This now apparent threat caused Alice to remove her metal tendril from Sam, her best friend beginning to scream, attracting the attention of Mikaela whom was at the end of the hallway.

The onyx-haired female turned around in response to the sound, spotting Storm who was no clad in her her protective armor. It sent up red flags in Mikaela's mind.

She ran back towards Sam's room, finding what it was that had caused Storm to reveal herself. Mikaela threw the metal box in her hands at the Decepticon before her though Alice dodged it with ease.

No metal box would be enough to stop Alice and Storm knew this. She quickly held her right arm out to her side, phasing in a weapon that had been given to her as a gift by The Arbiter long ago. A gravity hammer.

She didn't know why a Decepticon was here, but there were no doubts that it was due to the symbols drawn on Sam's walls. And she was going to make sure it stayed away from her friend.

Storm darted forward after pushing Leo and Mikaela back, Sam already far enough away that he wouldn't be affected by the following blast. She leapt into the air with speed, bringing her weapon down on Alice's head, the subsequent blast of shifting gravity flinging the Decepticon pretender out of the window behind it.

With the threat now temporarily dealt with, Storm turned around with urgency, yelling to the trio of human's behind her as Leo screamed about Alice being a "robot". However, they did as Storm had ordered, running out from the building with the Forerunner female close behind them for protection.

The group of four ran through the college campus and into it's library as Storm contacted Optimus on the current situation via her Ancilla. She could hear the worry in the Autobot leader's voice as he told her that he was close by and to hold on, that he was coming for her.

She ordered for the humans under her protection to hide on the second floor and they did so behind a book case, Storm hiding with them. There was no way the humans could take on a Decepticon no matter how small it was and she knew this. She would have to protect them till Optimus arrived or she offlined Alice, whichever happened first.

As they hid, Leo began to yell in hushed whispers, speaking to seemingly no one. "I can't believe that I almost...Oh, God. I think Im going to puke."

Mikaela ignored Leo's rambling in favor of yelling at Sam in the same hushed tones. "I can tell that you really missed me a lot, Sam!"

Sam rubbed his hands down his face in exasperation, attempting to explain himself. "Listen! Listen, I am a victim here!"

Mikaela didn't believe Sam, very much still furious. "Of what? A little eighty-pound girl?"

Sam emitted an angry, grunting noise, continuing to try and explain himself. "It was like getting humped in the neck by a mountain ox! You ever had your stomach tongued by a mountain ox with a five-foot tongue?!"

Despite the situation, Storm snorted at Sam's comparison. It was downright hilarious and she just couldn't help herself. Mikaela was not so amused, however, as she was looking at Sam in disbelief. "You didn't have to put your tongue in her mouth!"

Sam put his hands to his face, gesturing to his mouth as he spoke with an audible tone of disgust. "It wasn't fun for me, okay, Mikaela?...And it smelled like diesal! Like, a diesal-ly tinge to it!"

Storm snorted again upon hearing Sam's description and turned her head to face him. Despite her mask hiding her expression, the boy could easily hear the amusement in her voice. "Oh, chill out, Sam. You're being such a girl about it."

The chestnut-haired boy was visibly fed up. He looked over towards Mikaela and begna giving her the silent treatment. Storm couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief over how childish her friend was being, earing her a half-lidded death glare from the boy.

Storm simply shrugged back in his direction, watching as the pair before her began to argue once again. So much for staying quiet, Storm thought to herself silently.

Once the pair's arguing had concluded, Leo spoke up to Sam with urgency. "She violated your orifice with her nasty alien probe? She did it? She went in there? All her little embryo alien babies are gestating and hatching inside of you. They're growing right now, probably!...You need to vomit right now. Yak it! Yak it right now!"

Storm looked over to Leo dumbfounded and in disbelief as she spoke, this expression going un-seen due to her mask. "That's not even _remotely_ close to how alien reproduction works, human."

Leo turned to Storm in fear due to her speaking to him, his attention soon being drawn away for the Forerunner female once Mikaela spoke to him with a question. "Who are you?"

Leo frantically responded to Mikaela's question. "I'm Leonardo Ponce De Leon Spitz, okay? I'm the key to all of _this_. The aliens, the want me beacuse of my site."

Storm scoffed at the human beside her due to his egocentric comments. She turned to look at him once again, annoyance resonating in her voice. "In case you've forgotten, _Leo_ , I am very obviously an alien and I know many others. We don't want you for your website. _Trust me_."

Leo had opened his mouth to respond to the Forerunner female but was interuppted by an explosion not far from their location. The Decepticon pretender had found them, breaking through a wall in order to get to them.

Storm ordered for the trio she was protecting to run as she dropped her gravity hammer, the weapon disappearing in a flurry of orange particles. She couldn't use it here. Not in a area so densely packed with panicked humans.

She dove towards the Decepticon, grappling with it whilst trying to dig her clawed fingers into whatever she could get ahold of but to no avail. She simply wasn't fast enough.

Alice knocked Storm off balance causing her to fall over the railing. She wasn't about to go down empty handed, however. Storm gripped the Decepticon tightly, bringing her over the railing with her. They crashed through a set of wooden shelving, hitting the ground hard though Storm stood quickly, once again diving after her enemy as the humans around her made their escape.

She dug her clawed fingers deep into the Decepticon's chest, desperately trying to reach the sensitive spark that lay underneath but Alice was strong, digging her own clawed fingers into the sensitive Forerunner metal of Storm's arm for leverage as she struggled to fight her off.

This would only end in a losing battle and Storm knew this. She would have to temporarily incapacitate the Decepticon so that she could escape.

Storm quickly removed her hand from Alice's chest, round-house kicking her hard through a wall.

She could see sparks through the dust the damage had created. This was her chance. She wasted no time in turning around to make her escape. However, Alice had recovered faster than she'd anticipated.

A metal tendril wrapped itself tightly around Storm's neck before she was slung into wooden shelving. It was just enough to buy Alice time for her to race after Sam.

Storm's breath felt as if it'd been stolen and she was seeing stars, her ears ringing loudly. She couldn't let this stop her, however. She _wouldn't_ let this stop her.

She leapt up from her place on the ground, running after Alice with in-human speed. It didn't take her long to intercept her enemy, the Decepticon sauntering towards a car that Mikaela was desperately trying to start in order to escape.

Storm leapt into the air, landing onto an un-suspecting Alice's back. She wrapped her hand in the wires protruding from being's head and began slamming it's head into the ground with reckless abandon.

Mikaela couldn't take her eyes off of Storm as she watched her. She was feral, ferocious in her never ceasing attacks. It translated through her actions that Storm was scared and desperately trying to protect them with everything she had.

Mikaela's sudden stop in trying to start the car drew the attention of those with her. They watched in awe as Storm stood and flipped over a disoriented Alice, punching through her chest armor that she'd weakend earlier and ripping out her spark, crushing it in her hand without thought nor remorse.

Storm watched as the red light faded from her eyes before willing back her protective mask, ensuring that the threat was dealt with before turning to the humans behind her; failing to hear the sounds of approaching rotor's over the ringing of her own ears and the frantic beating of her heart.

A grappling hook shot itself into the roof of the vehicle before her as the humans with screamed in terror. Storm ran after the vehicle as it was being lifted away, leaping onto the hood and digging her clawed fingers into it for leverage. She wasn't about to let Sam, Mikaela, and Leo out of her sight. If the Decepticons wanted Sam, they'd have to go through her first.

Storm did her best to hold on as she was carried away by Grindor to an unknown destination, soon turning her head in the direction of Sam's frantic screaming. He was hanging out of the vehicle, the only thing keeping him from falling being Mikaela's tight grip on him though the onyx-haired female was soon succsseful in pulling him back inside the airborne vehicle.

Storm felt her heart fall into her stomach as they were dropped from the sky through a concrete structure and once the vehicle hit the ground, Storm was thrown backwards by the violent force, slammed harshly into an all too familiar silver leg.

Her vision was spinning as she stared up, her gaze being met with Megatron's cold stare. Storm leapt towards Megatron's face in attack but the Decepticon leader caught her mid-air. She struggled within his un-forgiving grasp, even as he slammed her down roughly onto a slab of concrete that resided nearby, pinning her there with force.

Sam met the same fate, the vehicle the chestnut-haired boy resided in being sawed in half by Starscream before he picked him up and slammed him on a concrete slab beside her.

Megatron leaned down, his face hovering over Storm's as she snapped at him with her teeth, desperate to inflict some form of damage on the mech whom had claimed so many live's. Her actions caused the Decepticon leader to smirk as he spoke in what seemed like...pride? "You are brave for a femme...Were it not for your lack of Cybertronian form, I would spark you here and take you as my mate."

Storm's eyes widened, furious with anger in response to what Megatron had said. No way in hell would she _ever_ do something like that. She snarled in Megatron's face, angry clicking being emitted from the back of her throat. Her actions only served to amuse Megatron, the tyrant looking down at her in condescending before turning his head to Sam and speaking. "You remember me, don't you, boy?"

Sam raised her arms above him in defense as he responded. He was scared. "Please...please don't hurt us."

Megatron slammed his free hand down over Sam's body to terrify him. "It feels good to grab your flesh! I am going to kill you slowly, _painfully_ , but first, we have delicate work to do...Doctor, examine this specimen."

Storm continued to struggle desperately in Megatron's grasp, her eyes going wide with fear as she watched a seemingly innocent microscope shift before her very eyes into a tiny Decepticon. It climbed up onto Sam's chest as he tried to reason with Megatron. The Decepticon leader ignored all of it as the mini-con examined Sam.

Soon, the mini-con called for retrieval of a small, worm-looking organism. Storm watched on in horror as it pried open Sam's mouth and entered it, trying to find it's way towards his brain given what was being said around her.

The machine that had forced it's way into Sam's body emerged moments later the same way it'd went in. It began displaying holographic images of the strange symbols Storm had seen decorating the walls of Sam's dorm room.

Scalpel looked up to Megatron, telling him that the symbols he'd just seen would lead them to an "energy source" on Earth but for the exact location, he would need Sam's brain removed and splayed on their makeshift table.

Starscream approached Sam, transforming his hand back into a saw before lowering slowly to Sam's forehead. Storm screamed violently as she fought against Megatron's tight hold of her. Her friend was going to die and she was being forced to watch.

Before Starscream could finish what he'd started, the ceiling caved in to reveal Optimus and Bumblebee. Storm didn't miss the shift in color of Optimus' optics, cerulean blue shifting to pure white. He took on Megatron and Starscream alongside Bumblebee before ordering for the yellow scout to protect the humans and for Storm to get Sam as far away as possible.

The Forerunner female didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed Sam by the arm and hastily ran with him, leading him out of the dilapted building. She kept running, only stopping once in a nearby forest. Despite her attempts to evade them, Decepticon forces had followed them there.

She quickly scanned for an area to hide and once she'd spotted one, Storm pulled Sam roughly behind her, yanking him down with her to hide behind a large, fallen tree. They'd lost the Decepticons but not for long. They were scanning the area extensively for them.

Storm held an armored finger to her lips that was aimed towards Sam, a gesture for him to stay quiet as a familiar sound resonated throughout the forest. Four slip-space portals had opened to reveal The Warden, the Promethean hive-mind aggressively trying to push back their attackers. However, Storm knew that The Warden coudn't handle this battle on his own. He was outnumbered and therefore, greatly outmatched.

She ordered for Sam to stay behind cover before darting out from around the fallen tree to aid Eternal, phasing a Forerunner boltshot into each hand before firing them off rapidly at the Decepticons around her, trying to act as distraction from the Promethean titan so he could gain the upper hand on their enemy.

It was quickly feeling to be a fruitless endeavor as one of the Decepticons had managed to gain the upper hand on The Warden, aiming directly for the core of his body and shooting through it, effectively destroying it.

Moments later, Optimus arrived for aid, instilling hope in Storm that was previously beginning to dwindle. The Autobot leader fought against the enemy fiercely with Storm doing everything in her power to assist him.

That was when Megatron approached behind him, attempting to surprise him but to no avail. Optimus intercepted his attack, facing the Decepticon leader head on in battle as the tyrant spoke to him with a question. "Is the future of our race not worth a single human life?!"

Optimus dodged Megatron's ferocious attacks, yelling back his answer. "You will ever stop at one! I will take you all on!"

Sam slowly came out of cover to witness the fight and Storm had spotted this from her peripheral. She darted over towards Sam, knocking him to the ground roughly with both of them just narrowly avoiding being crushed by Optimus' body that had been sent flying from a powerful kick by Megatron.

Storm was horrified as she watched her friend demand that Optimus get up from behind their cover. He was badly beaten, half of his metallic face mangled and missing in patches.

The Autobot leader stood though battered and tired, ripping apart Grindor with fury, his driving force being the scared look on Storm's face and his duty to protect Sam. The other Decepticons began backing away from Optimus in retreat of the sheer power he'd displayed and once the area was clear, the Autobot leader called out for Sam and Storm.

The pair slowly emerged from their cover that was the fallen tree and Storm felt relief flood her being. She began walking towards Optimus, her heart breaking seeing what Megatron had done, neither hearing the approaching footsteps until it was far too late.

Storm screamed in shock as a sword was shoved through Optimus' chest from behind him. She felt her heart stop, time seeming to slow in that moment as she watched Optimus' body fall to the ground on his side.

She quickly ran to his side and began examining the wound. He was leaking massive amounts of energon. Storm placed her hands over the wound, trying to block any more of the vital essence from escaping his body when she froze. The signature of Optimus' spark...she couldn't feel it as strongly as normal. It was fading. Megatron had pierced the most vital component of any Cybertronian.

Storm's hands became shaky, her voice just has shaky as her movements. "Optimus...I can stop this. I can save you if we can get you to Requiem! Just hold on!"

A large, metal hand that belonged to Optimus reached out to Storm, wrapping itself weakly around her armored body as it's owner spoke to her. "Tempest, I..."

He didn't finish his sentence, Storm watching as comforting blue of his optics that she had come to love faded into black. Her eyes went wide and in that moment, Storm felt something within her break. She placed her hands on Optimus' still warm face, patting his cheek plating shakily. "Optimus?...Wake up, this isn't funny..."

The Autobot leader didn't respond to Storm's pleading and touch. She stared down at him, eyes now glazed over and void of life as she continued in her efforts to wake him. "Optimus, stop it...If this is a joke, it isn't funny...So please, just get up..."

Storm was once again greeted with silence and an absence of movement. She began to panic, tears streaming down her face as she repeatedly hit Optimus on the face. "Get up, Optimus! You can't do this to me!"

It was too late...He was gone, his soul now resting peacefully within the Domain. Storm collapsed onto Optimus' no longer living form, letting out a gutteral, long-winded scream that was full of emotion.

The Autobots rushed the area in enough time to hear Storm's emotion filled scream, pushing back what Decepticons were left in the area before locking their optics to the Forerunner female. Shock was evident on their faces. Their Prime was gone, Ratchet's spark broken seeing his adopted sparkling leaned over the no longer alive leader.

He ordered for Bumblebee to take Storm away from the scene. He didn't want her exposed to this situation any longer and the yellow scout agreed, doing as he was told. He picked up Storm from within Optimus' deceased grasp along with Sam whom was at her side.

The Forerunner struggled, screaming for him to put her down whilst insisting that she could save the Autobot leader though he wouldn't. He ran out of the forest with her and Sam held tightly within his grasp. This was her fault. She shouldn't have contacted Optimus for help. She should have done more to ensure that he stayed at NEST...It was her fault that he was _gone_.

Storm's breathing became rapid and un-controlled. She was hyperventilating, locked in the tight grip of a panic attack that refused to let her go as Sam tried to calm the frantic Storm but to no avail. She heard her friend's voice pleading with her to stop, un-able to respond to him, her vision slowly fading to black.

It was the last thing she heard as she was blanketed by thick, comfortable nothingness.

* * *

 **You know, I thought my second time around writing this chapter wouldn't be as emotional as the first. Nope. I still teared up like the overly-emotional wuss that I am.**

 **I guess it's because I channelled all of my emotions that are still lingering from losing my dog through Storm to an extent even though I probably shouldn't have but, y'know, maybe it'll make Optimus' death scene seem more...real. I guess that would be the word for it.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	38. Chapter 38

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **I am back from my two week break of playing the RE2 remake!**

 **While I was gone though, it was pointed out to me that I mixed up Blackout and Grindor's names. Honestly, it's embarrassing that I did this as ironically I did the same thing on my last attempt at this story. You'd think I'd have learned from my mistakes but apparently not, haha. But, y'know, I'm only human and humans make mistakes. It's a natural part of life so I'm trying not to be too hard on myself for it.**

 **Also while I was away, I received a review asking me if Sam knew about the holoforms. As of right now, no, he does not. I'm still figuring out which chapter and exactly how I plan on introducing him to them. I'm going to do my best to make sure that it'll be funny, though.**

 **Just a heads up, this chapter will most likely be the only chapter I upload for this month. I want to spend the week of Valentine's Day with my significant other and the week after that Anthem will be releasing so I'll be taking time off from writing to play it.**

 **I've been getting burnt out releasing a chapter every week so I'm going to try to slow down. I don't want to get so burnt out that I give up completely on this story though I'm sure you've all heard me mention a million and one times now so this will be the last time you hear me say it so I don't annoy anyone.**

* * *

Her body felt numb and she could hear muffled sounds directed towards her from above in tandem with phantom touches. As her conciousness slowly flooded back to her mind and body, Storm took immediate notice of the hazy feeling blanketing her armor clad form.

She swallowed to appease her sore throat but it did nothing to ease the pain. Her mouth was as dry as a desert, feeling as if she had drank down liquid fire. She slowly opened her eyes to meet the no longer muffled sounds coming at her and was greeted by the familiar metal features of Bumblebee's face shrouded by a darkened sky. The yellow scout was holding her protectively against his chest plating, cradling her like an infant.

Storm sat up slowly in his grasp, holding at the side of her head with an armored hand due to the throbbing pain. She stared up in to Bumblebee's concerned optics, feeling her heart drop into her stomach as the events from earlier that day flooded her mind. Her heart broke once again as her eyes went wide with emotion...Optimus was gone...He had died saving her and Sam, and she would never get to hear his last words that had left so much emotion in his optics before they had went dark with the absence of life.

Her head dropped into open hands with guilt. She wished to cry but she had no tears left, her body exhausted of them and her eyes swollen and painful. She felt...empty.

Storm shuddered as the image of Optimus' lifeless form resurfaced in her mind, emitting a shaky breath as she raised her head from her clawed hands to look at Bumblebee, her voice breaking due to the sudden influx of emotions. "What happened to me, Bee?"

Bumblebe chirped at her in sadness, responding to her via his radio as he began to stroke at her back with his large, metal index finger for comfort. " **You...lost consciousness...Sam said...panic attack...** "

Storm stared up at the yellow scout blankly. A panic attack? Now that she thought about it, she had time un-accounted for. She remembered Bumblebee carrying her away, her screaming for him to put her down and...nothing. Her memory was blank. She was only able to remember void-like nothingness.

In her thought riddled state, Storm failed to hear the sound of approaching footsteps, only being drawn out of her mind by the sound of Sam's voice. "Stormy?...How are you feeling?"

She turned her head to face Sam, looking down at him from her place in Bumblebee's arms. She flashed him a quick smile as she answered him, trying to hide her current emotions from her friend but Sam couldn't help but notice the fakeness of it. Her smile was empty, the light of it never reaching her eyes. "I am...I don't know, Sam."

Sam's expression fell seeing Storm as she was, trying even now to protect him, this time from herself. He could easily see the grief in her face and body posture that she was trying to hide from him.

He began to approach her and Bumblebee kneeled down to him with the Forerunner in his arms so that the pair could be at eye level. "Stormy, I...I don't know what to say, but you don't have to hide how you're really feeling...You're my best friend. Please, talk to me."

Storm's facade instantly dropped to betray her true emotions. She should have known better than to try and fool Sam. "I _loved_ Optimus, Sam. I _still_ love him."

Storm's words stopped Sam in his tracks. He'd known the pair spent most of their time together, had witnessed their constant gravitation towards each other when they'd come to help him move to college first hand, but he didn't know their ties ran so deep. That they cared for each other.

He began to place his hand on Storm's arm, hoping to comfort his friend in her loss when he heard a sudden voice speak up causing Sam's blood to run cold and Storm's to feel as if it was boiling. "What are we doing? We don't have time for an intervention just because the alien's metal boyfriend died! In case you haven't forgotten, Sam, our face's are plastered all over the world right now!"

Everyone in the vicinty recoiled internally due to Leo's comments as Storm leapt from Bumblebee's arms with purpose, Skids and Mudflap muttering under their breath to each other how the human had just signed his own death warrant.

She rushed Leo, ignoring Mikaela whom was at his side as she grabbed him roughly by his shirt, pulling him towards her so that he was mere inches away from her face.

He could feel Storm's ragged breaths pelting him in the face harshly, her expression deadly and her voice filled with venom. "How dare you, human! Is this not what you wanted? You wanted the real McCoy? Well this is it! You're in the middle of it now and if you want to leave, then go! I will _not miss_ your absence."

Leo was visibly shocked by Storm's aggressive actions as was Sam. He hastily ran over to Storm, gripping her armored shoulders tightly before trying to pull her away from the boy but to no avail.

Her grip was tight, never faltering in it's strength as he desperately pleaded with her. "Stormy, stop it! You need to calm down! Optimus wouldn't want you to do this!"

Storm flinched hearing what Sam had said...He was right, Optimus wouldn't have wanted this for her. To be a slave to her own anger.

Her expression towards Leo softened, returning to it's former sadness only now with traces of guilt as she spoke to him. "I apologize, Leo...I allowed my emotions to get the best of me."

She removed her hands from Leo, un-winding them from his shirt that was now tattered due to her clawed fingers tearing it before walking away from him and the onyx-haired female at his side with no real destination. She needed to be alone. However, Sam wouldn't let her in her emotionally un-stable state.

The chestnut-haired boy shot Leo an angry look as did Mikaela, the boy pointing angrily into his face with choice words coming from his mouth before running off after Storm. He pleaded for her to stop walking but she wouldn't. It was almost as if she hadn't heard him.

He layed a hand on the much shorter female's shoulder, spinning her around to face him as he spoke to her. "Stormy, look, I'm sorry. Leo didn't mean what he said, okay? He's just scared. I think we all are."

Storm looked at Sam's hand that was placed on her armored shoulder, staring at it for several moments before covering it with her own, her voice filled with sadness and determination as she responded to him. " I know, Sam...I'm scared too but Leo's right. There's more important matters right now than my own emotions. It hurts losing Optimus. But the Decepticons were after you to locate some form of energy source here on Earth and they were willing to _kill_ for it. We have to find it before Megatron does...It's what Optimus would have wanted."

Sam pulled Storm into him and embraced her, neither one hearing the approaching of footsteps behind them nor knowing that Leo had been listening in on their private conversation until he spoke up. "Sam? You said that those strange symbols were projected into your head, right?"

Sam reluctantly pulled back from his emrace of Storm, nodding to Leo in affirmation. "Yeah. Why?"

Leo's eyes went wide. "I think I may know who can help us. Robo-Warrior. Everything about anything alien, he's supposed to know. One time we revenge hacked his site and _maybe_ I saw some of your alien symbols or whatever."

Sam and Storm shared distrustful looks with each other. They didn't know exactly who this person was nor if it was a potential trap. However, it was their only lead.

Storm nodded to Leo in acceptance. If this "Robo-Warrior" was truly their only option, then she had no choice but to put her trust in Leo as without it, she was out of ideas and there was too little time for her to be second guessing herself.

Storm phased away her personal armor, adopting her human appearence as she thought silently to herself. Wherever they ended up, she hoped that it would lead them to the end of this battle so that she could see this through with them as the victor.

...

Leo's information led the group to an inconspicuous deli in the heart of a bustling city. Storm climbed out of Bumblebee's alt-mode along with Sam and Mikaela, coming to stand on a sidewalk beside a waiting Leo.

Storm examined the exterior of the building with suspicion as Sam began to put on a jacket and baseball cap, pulling the hood up over his hat in order to hide his appearence. He was a wanted person now, his ID and and personal information being brodcasted to the entire world by the Decepticons in order to find him.

She followed the boy silently into the deli alongside Leo and Mikaela. As she entered, Storm heard a familiar voice, turning her head to meet the sound and it's owner. Her eyes went wide. It was Simmons, the man who had ordered for her torture and attempted dissection.

A low clicking sound began to eminate from the back of her throat as Sam followed her anger filled gaze, his expression immediately shifting to one of disbelief as he removed the hood of his jacket from his head with haste.

Leo pointed to Simmons. "It's him! That's the guy right there!"

The loud tone of Leo's voice drew Simmons' attention, his eyes going wide as he mumbled under his breath before yelling out to the patrons within his store. "You have got to be kidding me...Alright, the meat store is closed!"

Storm quickly turned to Sam, a furious look on her face as she hissed out a sentence to him with venom. "Sam, if you don't get me out of this place in two seconds I'm going to bounce Simmons up and down this street like a basketball!"

Sam pleaded with Storm not to do so though he knew her anger was well placed and Leo hadn't missed the woman's angry comments nor the pair's furious expressions. He shared looks between them, one eyebrow raised to them with confusion. "Wait a minute. You know this guy?"

Both Sam and Storm scoffed at Leo's question, both responding to him in unison of each other with thick sarcasm. "Yeah, we're old friends."

Simmons had heard the pair's well-timed response, looking to them in a mixture of anger and insult as he responded to them bitterly. "Old friends? You're the case that shut down S-7! You and you're little alien girlfriend there!"

Storm had finally had enough. She began to charge towards Simmons with aggression, only being stopped by Mikaela and her tight grip on her shoulder as the former S-7 agent continued to rant childishly. "No more security clearence, no retirement, no nothing! All because of you and your merry band of misfits!...And they've got your face all over the news, alien boy."

Storm sneered at Simmons as Sam responded to him, the chestnut-haired boy running his hands down his face in exasperation."Yeah, I know..."

Simmons smirked at Sam upon hearing his response. "So, NBE-One is still kicking, huh? How did that happen?...Actually, don't answer that. I don't know what you're hiding but I don't want anything to do with it. So, good-bye. You never saw me."

The former S-7 agent turned around to leave but Sam stopped him, running up to the counter and slamming his hands on it's surface to gain his attention as he spoke with urgency. "Can you give me five seconds?...Look, I need your help."

Simmons placed a hand on his chest with sarcasm. "Really? You need my help?"

Sam leaned in close to Simmons, speaking to the man in hushed whispers due to the sensitive nature of what he was about to say. "I need...Look, I am slowly losing my mind, okay? I had a little crab-bot plunge a device into the soft tissues of my brain and start projecting little alien symbols like a freaking home movie! And on top of that, I'm a wanted fugitive. So, you think you've got it rough?"

Storm didn't miss the the change in Simmons' expression. Sam had obviously peaked his interest, the man now looking at him with wide eyes. "You said it projected images off your brain?"

Sam nodded to the man in affirmation, watching as he quickly turned around and began walking away, gesturing to the group with his hand for them to follow. "Meat locker, now!"

The group quietly followed after Simmons, following him through the freezing metal room past many racks of hanging meat towards a hatch in the floor. He opened it, ushering the group into it and down the ladder before following in after them, shutting the door of the hidden opening behind him.

The man began tearing apart the rather spacious room in search of something as Storm patroled it's expanse. She took in everything as she walked, soon stopping in her place when the sight of something familiar and shocking caught her eye. It was the head of the small Decepticon she'd torn apart whom had been chasing Sam that she'd later learned was named Frenzy. It was contained within a large, glass dome.

Storm placed her hand against the glass, feeling guilt rush through her as she stared into his lifeless optics. However, she was soon startled from her distracted state by Simmons purposefully bumping into her with his shoulder, speaking to her in what almost sounded like taunting. "Recognize him, don't you? You should. After all, you were the one to rip him apart."

Storm sneered at Simmons for his comments, reluctantly following after him when he slammed a stack of papers down on a table before him. If the man kept this up she was going to lose it and this time, Mikaela wouldn't stop her.

Storm said nothing to him, however, watching as the man sifted through his files, stopping on a specific one and pointing to it as he looked to Sam. "Any of these look like the symbols you saw?"

Sam nodded to him in affirmation. "Yeah. Where did you get these?"

Simmons raised up from over his former leaning position over his files, gesturing with his hands to the papers before him. "Before I got fired, I poached S-7's crown jewel, over seventy-five years of alien research which points to one inescapable fact. The Transformers, they've been here a long, long time. How do I know? Archeologists found these un-explained markings-"

The man paused, pointing down to the papers before continuing. "-in ancient ruins all over the world. China. Egypt. Greece. All of these were shot in 1932."

After saying this, Simmons began to rummage through the papers once again, pointing to a different set of symbols that were starkly different than the others. "Same one's over here, right?

Sam agreed with the man and he smiled. "So, tell me, how did they end up all drawing the same things? Aliens. And I think some of them stayed. Check this out. Project Black Knife-"

Simmons pulled out a file from the now disorganized stack before showing it to the group. "-robots in disguise, hiding here all along. We detected radioactive signatures all across the country. I pleaded on my _knees_ with S-7 to investigate it, but they said the readings were infintesimal, that I was obsessed. _Me_. Can you believe that?"

Storm scoffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yeah. You aren't crazy at all, _human_. That would be absurd."

Simmons narrowed his eyes at Storm whilst Sam shook his head in disbelief of the Forerunner before speaking up, trying to distract the pair from each other and the rising tension between them. "Look, Megatron said that there was another energy source here, okay? He said that these symbols, these maps in my head, would lead him there."

Simmons expression shifted to one of worry as he spoke up to Sam with a question. "Did you talk to your Autobot friends about this?"

Storm answered the question in Sam's place. "This source of Energon predates their existence."

The former S-7 agent sighed heavily in defeat. "Well, we're out of luck unless we can talk to a Decepticon."

There was no way Storm would allow a Decepticon near those under her protection. She turned to face Simmons, her expression giving away her current emotions towards the man's proposition. "I believe I speak for everyone here when I say that we aren't exaclty on speaking terms."

Mikaela's eyes widened as she spoke, the change of expression not lost to the Forerunner beside her. "Actually...I am."

Storm stared on at Mikaela in a mixture of confusion and suspicion as she walked away, climbing the ladder and exiting from the hidden room of the deli. The Forerunner's suspicion was only furthered when the woman returned minutes later, a familiar metal box in one hand and what appeared to be a torch in the other.

The onyx-haired female set the box down on the table before warning everyone to be cautious as she proceeded to slowly open the box. Once the lid had been cracked, a small mass of metal darted out in attack, startling Storm. She took up a battle stance as she clicked lowly in the back of her throat. It was a Decepticon, short in stature with blue armor and wheels for feet. It reminded her of Sideswipe.

However, Storm's aggression soon changed to curiousty. There was a chain around the Decepticon's neck and one of it's optics were missing. And she soon knew why as she watched Mikaela hold the torch she held up to the small bot's other optic, demanding for it to "behave".

Storm's heart sank, a rush of panic going through her as she watched the Decepticon recoil away, holding it's hands out in front of it for defense with it's remaining optic now closed in fear. He wasn't being aggressive towards them just because of his affiliation with the Decepticons. He was scared.

She gripped Mikaela's wrist that held the torch tightly, grabbing the flame emitting device and turning it off before throwing it far across the room away from the defenseless bot. Once he was safe from harm, Storm turned to face Mikaela, her grip on the female's wrist never faltering as she spoke to her with anger. "Remove the chain from him. _Now_."

Everyone in the room began to argue with Storm, stressing that what she was doing was a bad idea, but she wouldn't listen and since no one was willing to take the initiative, she would. Storm grabbed the chain from around the small Decepticon's neck, removing it gently much to the bot's astonishment.

He was looking up at her and she caught his stare, smiling back at him sweetly as she handed the heavy chain off to Mikaela. "You don't deserve to be chained. If you treat someone like an animal, an animal is what they'll become."

Storm could tell that her words resonated deeply with the small Decepticon despite his attempts to hide it but he was very much still suspcious of the group, this much she could tell.

She got down to his level, speaking up to him in question now that they were eye to eye. "What is your name, little one?"

The small Decepticon hesitated, obviously un-sure of if he should answer her question though he eventually gave in and responded to her. "Wheelie."

Storm smiled. "Wheelie. I like that. Tell me Wheelie, could I ask for your help with something?"

Wheelie glanced around the room, pondering over Storm's question before turning his gaze back to her. "I guess I owe you one for letting me go...But don't mistake what I'm doing for kindness, lady. I'm only paying back my debt and then I'm leaving."

Storm nodded to him in understanding, easily able to see through his facade. "Of course, Wheelie."

Simmons called over the small Decepticon, directing his attention to the papers on the table for translation. Wheelie looked down at them, examining them for several moments before looking up to Storm and giving her his results, his expression one of surprise. "I know that. That's the language of the Primes. I don't read it, but these guys...How did you manage to find photos of these guys?"

Simmons held up one of the photos. "Is this _they_?"

Wheelie nodded in affirmation. "Yeah. Seekers, pal. Oldest of the old. They've been here for thousands of years looking for something. I don't know what. Nobody tells me anything, but they'll translate those symbols for you...And I know where to find them."

The small Decepticon turned around, projecting multiple green lasers from his functioning optic onto a map placed on the wall, all of them landing on a different area far away from each other. The group examined the map intently as Storm gently picked up Wheelie with his permission, holding him close to her chest for protection, She wouldn't let anyone harm him again.

Once Storm had Wheelie held securely within her grasp, Simmons spoke up to the group, gesturing for them to follow him. "The closest one is in Washington. Everybody pack up. Let's go."

Storm followed the group out of the hidden room and out onto the street where Bumblebee, Skids, and Mudflap all sat waiting patiently for their return. She opened the door with her free hand, climbing past the passenger seat and into the back of Bumblebee's alt-mode, Wheelie still held within her arms. The little bot didn't protest, sitting still within the Forerunner's protective hold willingly much to everyone's surprise.

She gently stroked the tiny Decepticon's head for comfort as Sam and Mikaela climbed into the seating before her, all the while giving her strange looks, Storm ignoring every single one. She was calmed by what she was doing, a maternal instinct she didn't know she possessed the reason for her actions.

She was silent as Bumblebee started up his engine, setting off to their destination that Sam had said was The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Storm leaned her head over against Bumblebee's leather interior.

It had been a long day. One that had emotionally and physically exhausting despite the comfort that Wheelie was currently bringing her.

She would stay strong, however. She had a duty to these people, to protect them. The fate of their world was at stake with Megatron's return along with everyone she cared for. And she wouldn't go down without a fight.

* * *

 **Woohoo, a cliffhangar!**

 **It's only a small one, though. And let me say, I'm super excited to write the next chapter because Storm will find out there's a chance she can bring Optimus back.**

 **But, it's going to be really emotional, as well, because we already know what happens to The Matrix.**

 **Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**

 **(P.S: thank you all for overlooking/forgiving my mistakes, typos, etc. It means a lot and my anxiety thanks you, too.)**


	39. Chapter 39

**AN: I don't own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **After my** **long, extended break for February I have finally returned!**

 **It felt really nice to have some extra time to just wind down and play Anthem and Destiny 2 with some friends. It was a good stress reliever. But, we all know you guys aren't here for me to talk about myself and my time away. You're here for a new chapter and I'm going to deliver.**

 **I can't say how many chapters I'll be able to get out this month as I've been going back and re-doing a lot of my chapters, but I'm going to try and release two. So far I've only managed to re-write chapter 1-16, but I feel like it's a good start and I'm pleased with my story more than I've ever been so if you guys don't see another upload this month, you'll know why.**

 **I didn't want to leave you guys hanging wondering where I was at without saying anything.**

* * *

Storm exited from Bumblebee's alt-mode after Sam and Mikaela, Wheelie held protectively in her arms as she stared on at the large structure before her, growling lowly in annoyance when Simmons came to stand at her side. She turned to look at him, taking immediate of his expression and stance.

"Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It's the land of dreams in there...All I ever wanted to be was an astronaut." Simmons said longingly.

She watched the man as he turned to face Bumblebee, doing something un-expected that caused her to crinkle up her nose disgust. He was removing all of his clothing aside from his undergarments, exposing far too much bare skin for her liking, including that of his posterior.

"If you don't put your coverings back on, human, I will flatten you on this pavement." Storm hissed out with revulsion.

Simmons eyed her up and down, calling her bluff. He turned around to face Sam in his un-clothed state, no shame to be seen in his body posture. The boy's eyes immediately locked on to his undergarments, one eyebrow raising in confusion.

"What is that?" The chestnut-haired boy asked, pointing down to his coverings, or rather the lack thereof.

The former S-7 agent shrugged his shoulders in response with indifference. "What? I wear them when I'm in a funk."

The man's response did nothing to change Storm's disgust over the situation. She stuck her tongue out at him, making loud gagging noises. The man turned to face the sounds and narrowed his eyes at her in anger. He wasn't amused by her actions.

However, the man simply turned back around, grabbing a brown, leather bag from the trunk of Skids' alt-mode and gathering a set of clothing from within it. Simmons put them on much to Storm's appreciation before speaking up to those around him. "Watches synchronized? Ok...Sharp mind and empty bladder, everyone. If you get caught, you demand an attorney and do not _ever_ say my name."

He pulled out a bottle from his pocket, handing one of what was inside to everyone around him as he spoke. "Okay, take one of these and slip it under your tongue. It's the high-concentrate polymer they put in in Oreo cookies. It tricks the polygraph everytime."

When Simmons turned to her, Storm held up a hand, shaking her head at him. "I'm an alien, Simmons. Nothing like that will work on me."

The man shrugged his shoulders to her before turning to Leo, pushing what appeared to be a taser into his hands. The boy looked up to Simmons with wide eyes, betraying his inner turmoil.

"No, listen, I can't do this. I am not some alien bounty hunter-" Leo paused, looking between Sam, Mikaela, and Storm. "-guys, I'm not going to do this. Guards have guns. I don't want to die."

Simmons placed his hands on Leo's shoulders, pulling him towards him roughly. "Kid, kid, kid...You compromise this mission, and you are dead to me. Now look into my eyes and tighten up that sphincter."

Storm could only look at the man in confusion over his comments as she dropped her camouflage response, phasing on her personal armor. She couldn't miss Wheelie's expression of astonishment as she did this, setting the small bot down on the ground as she smiled at him from underneath her mask. "Wait for our signal, little one. I don't want you getting hurt."

The small, blue Decepticon nodded to her in agreement and she activated her clocking device, making her invisible. She followed after those around her and once Simmons had opened the door to the museum, she carefully slipped in behind him and Leo, Sam, Mikaela, and Wheelie waiting outside for their cue.

She split off from Simmons to follow after Leo towards the bathroom of the museum. What was he doing? She slipped into the bathroom behind him, watching silently as the boy paced the expanse of the bathroom. He was planning out his distraction.

She remained silent as she watched Leo hastily pull down his pants, giving himself a small pep-talk before waddling out of the bathroom and yelling. "Yo! Bad news, bro! Ran out of toilet paper. You got any out here?"

"Sir! I suggest you get in there. The museum is closed!" A museum guard shouted back at him.

She listened through the bathroom walls as Leo began to argue with the man. "Listen man, I can understands that, but as you can see, this is important. Alright? Thumper dumper. I have _got_ to go."

Storm couldn't help but crinkle her nose up in disgust over Leo's comments as he was forced into the bathroom by the museum guard. She quietly moved out of their way as Leo was guided over to a stall, the man shutting the door behind him before handing a roll of toilet paper to Leo over the top of the stall.

"Sir, you are a grown, un-clothed man. You should be embarrassed." The museum guard said.

She couldn't take her eyes of the man as she heard Leo's taser go off, the human falling to the ground with a loud thud. Leo emerged moments later from the bathroom stall looking triumphant before he fell, tripping himself up on the museum guard's un-conscious, twitching form and tasing himself.

Storm un-cloaked herself in her spot as she chuckled, staring down at the twitching Leo with an amused expression that went un-seen due to her mask. "Nice job, human."

She didn't turn around as she heard Simmons open the door, the man looking from Storm down to the self-incapacitated Leo at her feet with confusion as he met his gaze, the boy asking him a question with his voice straining every other word in tandem with his twitching. "How many times can you get tased in the nuts before you can't have kids?"

"I would advise you not to reproduce, human, lest your offspring inherit your stupidity." Storm said with amusement, offering Leo a hand for help off the ground.

He took her hand and she pulled him off the ground and onto his feet with ease, Simmons helping the convulsing human pull up his pants as she walked over to the bathroom door. She opened it slowly, looking around to see if all the guards had been dealt with. She exited from the bathroom once she'd deemed it safe before walking towards the front of the museum, giving a waiting Sam, Mikaela, and Wheelie the signal that the coast was clear.

The trio entered per her signal, wasting no time in looking for the seeker they needed to find with Simmons' help as Storm summoned The Warden, the former S-7 agent pulling out a device a black device and scanning the area.

He locked onto a faint signal with the device and began to run after it, everyone following him to the source of the signal. An SR-71 Blackbird. Storm eyed the aircraft cautiously as Sam reached into his pocket, pulling out a familiar glass tube and a pair of metal forceps.

He pulled the piece of the All-Spark out from it's glass container and it reacted immediately to the Cybertronian presence, flying towards it as Mikaela ducked for cover underneath the shaking aircraft, the onyx-haired female's blood running cold at what she saw before her.

"It's a Decepticon!" Mikaela shouted with fear.

The fine hair on Storm's body immediately stood on end upon hearing this and she ordered for everyone to hide, quickly taking up her own hiding spot beside The Warden next to a large aircraft as the Decepticon seeker began to shift.

It stood to it's full height and began looking around the expanse of the museum quizzically before yelling out to seemingly no-one. "What sort of hideous mausoleum is this?...Answer me, pawns and knaves! Show yourselves of suffer my infinite wrath!"

Jetfire began to demand the museum door's open but they didn't. He began messing with the wiring of his arm and in response, missiles shot out from his arm, flying around the building haphazardly. It wasn't enough to free him from the confines of the museum.

He began to kick at the doors before him with much force and they gave way, allowing him access to the outside. This was bad. _Very bad_. Storm chased after the rogue Decepticon to try and contain the situation and those around her followed after her.

Sam began yelling out to Jetfire for him to wait and it drew his attention, The Decepticon stopping in his place and turning around to face him. "What do you want?"

"Look, we just want to talk." Sam said, holding out his hands in surrender.

Jetfire didn't seem phased. He threw his arms out to his sides as Bumblebee, Skids, and Mudflap pulled around the corner of the museum, responding to Sam with a tone of impatience. "I have no time to talk! I'm on a mission. I'm a mercenary doom-bringer!...What planet am I on?"

"Earth." Sam answered.

Jetfire looked down at them with mild disgust. "Earth? Terrible name for a planet. Might as well call it _dirt_. Planet _dirt_...Tell me, is that robot civil war still going on?"

Sam nodded to him in affirmation and Jetfire spoke up with another question. "Who's winning?"

"The Decepticons." Storm said sadly as she came to stand at Sam's side.

Jetfire seemed less than pleased with this news, waving off her response. "Well, I changed sides to the Autobots."

Storm couldn't hide the confusion in her voice. "What do you mean you changed sides?"

Jetfire shrugged his shoulders at the small Forerunner with non-chalance. "So much negativity. Who wants to live a life filled with hate?"

She didn't miss Wheelie's change in expression as he came to stand at her side along with Mikaela, the small bot speaking up to Jetfire with a hopeful question. "You mean you don't have to work for those miserable freaking Decepticons?"

"If the Decepticons had their way, they would destroy the whole universe." Jetfire said.

Wheelie hastily made his way to Mikaela's side, doing something that caused Storm to snicker. He mounted the onyx-haired female's leg, dominating it suggestively as he looked up at her. "I'm changing sides. I'm changing sides too, warrior goddess."

Storm's amusement wasn't shared by Sam. The chestnut-haired boy's expression was caught in-between annoyance and anger as he stared at Mikaela, his tone betraying his current emotions. "What are you allowing to happen to your foot right now?"

"At least he's faithful, _Sam_." Mikaela answered bitterly.

Storm couldn't help but sigh at Sam in disbelief, dropping her head into one hand. Were these two _ever_ going to stop arguing. She kept her head where it rested, only removing it from her hand when Wheelie came to her side, placing a small hand on her armored leg as Jetfire began to yell. Over what, she didn't know.

"Somebody shit the bed this morning." Wheelie said.

She snorted out a laugh in response to Wheelie's comments. Jetfire, however, had heard this. He turned to look at them, continuing to yell loudly. "I have issues of my own. It started with my mother!...My ancestors have been here for centuries. My father, he was a wheel, the _first_ wheel. Do you know what he transformed into?"

"No..." Wheelie answered meekly.

"Nothing!" Jetfire yelled. "But he did so with honor and dignity, damn it!"

Suddenly, a set of parachutes shot out from the Decepticon's rear-end, knocking the large mech backwards. He hit the ground hard and a cloud of dust bellowed up around him, Storm easily able to feel the resulting shockwave course up through her body through the bottoms of her armored feet.

Jetfire slowly sat up in his spot, moving his protective headgear back from over his eyes that had fallen due to the force of his fall as Sam began to carve symbols into the ground with a knife provided to him by Simmons.

"These symbols here-" Sam said, gesturing to the ground before him. "-all this is in my mind and Megatron wants what is in my mind. Him and someone called _The Fallen_."

Storm felt her blood run cold hearing the all too familiar name, recalling what the Decepticon in Shanghai had said as Jetfire looked down at the chestnut-haired boy with recognition. "The Fallen? I know him. He left me here to rust. The original Decepticon. He's terrible to work for. It's always apocalypse, chaos, crisis. These transcriptions, they were part of mission, The Fallen's search...I remember now, for the Dagger's tip, and the key."

Jetfire was speaking almost too fast for those around him to understand, causing Sam to hold out his hands, gesturing for him to slow down. "The Dagger's tip? The key? What are you talking about?"

Storm began to feel a strange energy blanket the air around her and it seemed The Warden had, as well. He had rushed over to her, plucking her from the ground quickly as Jetfire yelled out in warning. "No time to explain...Hold on, everybody! Stay still or you'll die!"

The group were instantly teleported away from their destination, being dropped out into an un-known, sandy landscape. The Warden wrapped his arms around Storm's much smaller form tightly for protection as they began to descend towards the ground and they landed roughly.

Storm slowly lifted her head as she tried to break free from The Warden's hold on her, a hazy, dizzy feeling clouding her senses. Her eyes immediately locked onto the Promethean titan's face. His eyes were absent of their normally vibrant, orange light. She began to panic, using her free arm to shake The Warden as she called out to him but she received no answer.

Was he?...No. He couldn't be dead. If his body had sustained irreparable damage, it would have disintegrated underneath her. But it hadn't. Had the Forerunner AI and her second-in-command short-circuited somehow from the force of the blow?

A lump began to form in her throat. It was hard for her to look at him like this, the absence of light in his eyes reminding her too much of Optimus and the way the light of his optics had faded out of existence as he clutched onto her armor body like she was his lifeline. The last straw keeping him tethered to Earth.

She waited for what felt like an eternity before The Warden's familiar orange light flickered back to life. He slowly looked down to the weight on his chest to find Storm, taking immediate notice of the panicked expression on her face.

She let out a deep sigh of relief, slapping The Warden jokingly on his face before collapsing against his metal chest. "Don't do that to me, Eternal!. You scared the _hell_ out of me...I thought something was seriously wrong."

"Do not fret, Tempest. My AI is not permanently damaged." He said, patting Storm gently on the back in reassurance.

She looked up from The Warden's chest, receeding her protective mask from over her face to show him a smile. Her happiness was short-lived, however, quickly being replaced with fear as she heard the sounds of pained screaming from off in the distance. _Sam's screaming_.

She leapt from The Warden's chest onto the sandy ground below, rushing off with haste towards the sound as the Promethean titan darted after her. She was greeted with a horrific sight once she made it to Sam's side. His fingers were broken, mangled from the sudden fall.

Storm kneeled down at side before gently taking his hand. It was bad. The boy would need his bones forced back into place and set properly to avoid further damage. She turned to Mikaela who had come running to Sam's side upon hearing his pained screaming and was visibly shocked.

"How...How bad is it, Stormy?" Mikaela asked with concern.

Storm sighed heavily, remaining calm. "His fingers are broken. I could move them back into place and set them if I had the supplies to do so."

Upon hearing what she'd said, Simmons spoke up with a question. "What kind of supplies do you need? I have a med-kit in my duffle bag."

"I need bandages and gauze and lots of it. It'll be enough for me to secure Sam's hand until we can get him proper human medical treatment." Storm said.

Simmons nodded to her in affirmation and walked over to Skids, the Autobot twin handing him his duffle bag from his sub-space. He quickly brought it over to Storm and retrieved the medical kit, handing it to her. She took it from him and opened it, pulling out the gauze and bandages from inside before gently taking Sam's injured hand once again.

"I won't lie, this is going to hurt, Sam...I'll try and make this as quick as I can." She said.

The chestnut-haired boy looked away from his hand, his breathing becoming rapid as he metally prepared himself for what Storm was about to do. She grabbed onto Sam's broken fingers tightly, snapping them back into place in one clean, quick motion. Sam yelled out in pain and Storm quickly picked up the gauze, padding his broken fingers with it before wrapping them and his hand tightly with the bandages Simmons had given her tightly so that they wouldn't be able to move.

Storm didn't miss the looks of confusion and suspicion she was receiving from Simmons as she stood, turning to face the man when he spoke up to her. "You did pretty good for an alien...Tell me, who'd you learn that from?"

"From people who make you and S-7 look like child's play in terms of secret organizations." Storm answered cryptically.

Her comments had obviously peaked Simmons interest but she wasn't about to divulge anymore information to this man. Instead, she turned her attention to Leo when she heard him begin to speak, his comments directed to Jetfire. "That really, _really_ hurt. You're just lucky that I didn't get hurt. People could have gotten killed, okay? And if I would have gotten hurt-"

Jetfire was having none of Leo's rambling. He looked down at him, shrugging off his disrespect with indifference as he interuppted him. "I told you I was opening a space bridge. It was the fastest way to travel to Egypt."

"When did you...You didn't tell us anything. Why are we in Egypt?" Leo said with confusion.

Jetfire pointed down at him with his cane, his tone betraying his current annoyance. "Don't you get snippy with me, fleshling! You were duly informed."

"Can you to just stop arguing for a second?" Sam said before pointing to Jetfire. "Can you tell me why we are in Egypt. So that way, we can all have a little bit of semblance of peace of mind."

Jetfire pushed back his annoyance with Leo, nodding to Sam in affirmation. " _This_ planet was visited by our race once before by our earliest ancestors, millennia ago. They were on an exploratory mission to harvest energon, the lifeblood of our race. Without it, we'll all perish, oxidize and rust, like my wretched self! Do you have any idea what it's like to slowly fall apart and die?"

"Let's not get episodic, okay, old-timer?" Simmons said.

The former S-7 agent's comments infuriated Storm. She narrowed her eyes at him as she turned to look at him, disgust written all over her face. "You are a _horrible_ excuse for a human. How can you not symphathize with the slow suffering of another being?"

The man didn't seemed phased by her comments nor shamed. Instead, he turned his attention back towards Jetfire and Storm scowled at him. If it weren't for her treaty with NEST, she wouldn't hesitate to punch him in the face.

"Somewhere buried in this desert, our ancestors built a great machine. It harvests energon by destroying suns." Jetfire said.

Storm's blood turned to ice hearing what the Decepticon seeker had said. The energon source Megatron had been looking for was Earth's orbiting sun, and he intended to destroy it in order to get what he wanted.

"Destroy suns? You mean blow them up?" Sam asked, sharing in Storm's shock.

Jetfire nodded to Sam in affirmation. "Yes. You see, in the beginning, there were seven Primes, our original leaders. They set out into the universe seeking distant suns to harvest. The Primes set out with one rule, _never_ _destroy a planet with life_. One of them tried to defy this rule, however. And his name forever more was _The Fallen_. He despised the human race and he wanted to kill you all by turning on that machine. The only way to activate it is with a legendary key called The Matrix of Leadership."

Jetfire paused, shaking his head sadly before continuing. "A great battle took place over possession of The Matrix. The Fallen was stronger than his brothers, so they had no choice but to steal it and hide it from him. In their ultimate sacrifice, The Primes gave their lives to seal The Matrix away in a tomb made of their very own bodies...a tomb we cannot find."

The Decepticon seeker outstretched his hand to the scenery around him. "Somewhere, buried in this desert, is that deadly machine. The Fallen know where it is and if he finds the tomb of The Primes, your world will be no more.

"Okay, so how do we stop him?" Sam asked.

Jetfire shook his head to Sam in response. "Only a Prime can defeat The Fallen."

Storm's breath hitched in her throat with a dawning realization. Optimus was the only Prime she'd known of and with him gone, their chances of success in stopping Megatron and The Fallen were abysmal.

Sam hadn't missed his friend's reaction. He quickly glance to her before directing his attention back towards Jetfire with another question. "Optimus Prime?"

The Decepticon seeker looked down at the chestnut-haired boy with wide optics, hope lacing his voice. "So, you've met a Prime? Why, you must have met a great descendent. Is he alive, here on this planet?"

She couldn't stop the tears that were threatening to spill over, her voice breaking as she answered Jetfire's question in Sam's stead. "He sacrificed himself to save us..."

Jetfire shook his head in disappointment as Sam attempted to comfort Storm. "So, he's dead. Without a Prime, it is impossible. No one else could stop The Fallen."

Sam continued to comfort Storm, stroking her armored back gently with his un-injured hand. That's when a thought crossed his mind. He raised his bandaged hand to Jetfire, pointing at him as he spoke. "So, the same energy that is going to be used to reactivate the machine...could that energy somehow be used to reactivate Optimus and bring him back to life?"

Storm began to shake upon hearing Sam's words, her breathing going ragged at the thought. Was there really a chance?...Could she really see Optimus again? Jetfire hadn't missed the change in the woman, smiling down at her knowingly. Her feelings for Optimus were readily apparent.

"It was never designed for that purpose, but it is an energy like no other." Jetfire said.

Sam spoke up once again in a question. "So, then how do you get us to The Matrix before the Decepticons get to me?"

Jetfire taped at the side of his head. "Follow your mind, your map, your symbols. What you carved into the ground earlier, that is your clue. When dawn slights the Dagger's Tip, Three Kings will reveal the doorway!"

He paused, gesturing to the group before continuing. "Find the doorway. Go now! Go! That was my mission. It is your mission now...Go before the Decepticons find me and you!"

Storm turned around on the balls of her feet, not looking back as she phased away her protective armor. She was un-able to stop herself from shaking due to her hopeful anticipation caused by Jetfire's words.

She had a chance at getting Optimus back.

* * *

 **Whew. I finally managed to get this chapter done.**

 **If would have gotten done sooner if it weren't for my dog, Mojo. He's been up my butt all day wanting attention and laying on my arms wanting me to scratch his belly when I try to write. So, if you want to blame anyone, blame him, haha.**

 **Before I say goodbye to you all, I would like to explain something. I'm sure you've all noticed by now that Storm has been referrencing a certain "organization" cryptically, which is the UNSC. I'm setting up Storm revealing herself as formerly having affiliation with them and in my story, I kind of wanted them to be a secret that no one knows about until she decides to come clean that NEST isn't the first human military group she's worked with. Kind of like with S-7.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	40. Chapter 40

**AN: I don't own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **I'd like to give all of you a heads up before we get into this chapter. This upcoming month is going to be very, very busy for me so there's a good possibility that I won't be uploading. So, if you don't see a chapter release, you'll know why.**

 **I'll most likely be spending whatever free time I do have for April going back and editing/re-doing chapters because I'm very much behind thanks to me getting sick and staying that way for two weeks. Despite my best attempts to not get it (Lysol spray, Lysol wipes, hand sanitizer, etc.) it still happened because my** **immune system sucks**

 **I blame my significant other because he brought it home from work, haha.**

* * *

The inside of Bumblebee's alt-mode was for the most part quiet, the only thing to be heard being the sounds of crinkling paper as Simmons examined a map in the passenger seat beside her. Storm watched him from her peripherals, hands wrapped firmly around Bumblebee's steering wheel as she was lost to her own thoughts. All of Optimus.

"Okay, here is what my CIA contact says. Ancient Sumerians used to call the Gulf of Aqaba the Dagger's Tip." Simmons said, pointing down to an area of the map. "That is the Dagger's Tip."

His words drew Sam's attention. The chestnut-haired boy leaned up in-between the front seating, looking down at the part of the map Simmons waas pointing to. "It's part of the Red Sea."

The former S-7 agent nodded to him in agreement. "It divides Egypt and Jordan like the tip of a blade. 29.5 degrees north, 35 east."

"First thing we've got to do is get Optimus to the Dagger's Tip." Sam said.

Simmons folded up the map in his possession, placing it on the dashboard before turning to look at Sam, confusion plastered on his face. "How are you going to get him halfway around the world?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "I'm going to make a call."

A call?...Storm could only think of one person Sam would call in this situation. _Lennox_. She listened in to the pair's conversation as she kept her eyes trained on the road ahead of her. What she saw coming towards them in the distance caused her to snarl lowly.

"Bee, we've got human law enforcement coming. We need to hide. _Now_." Storm said with stress.

The Autobot scout made a hasty turn onto a dirt road. It led them to a small village and once they'd stopped, everyone quickly made their exit from Bumblebee's alt-mode and hid beside a building as Storm looked around to assess the situation for danger...Wait, where was Mikaela and Leo?

"Okay, we're running out of time. I've got to make the call to Lennox." Sam said with panic evident in his voice.

Storm narrowed her eyes. "In case you've forgotten, Sam, you're on the worldwide wanted list thanks to the Decepticons...If you try to call NEST right now they'll track you and all of us here within seconds and if you think the human government wouldn't offer you up on a silver platter to save their own asses, you're _sorely_ mistaken."

Sam rubbed his hands down his face with stress. Storm was right. There'd be no way for him to call NEST without his voice being recognized and a military team being sent out to retrieve him by any means necessary...That was when an idea passed through his head.

Sam pointed over to Simmons. "You can call them. No one knows your voice."

The former S-7 agent hand no rebuttal for this. He mulled over the idea for several moments before agreeing, making his way over to a pay phone close by with Sam and Storm following after him.

She repeated the number to him from memory and watched as Simmons entered it, placing the phone up to his ear. She held her breath as she listened to the faint sounds of the dial tone, waiting desperately for her friend and Major to answer.

She released the breath she'd been holding for what felt like an eternity when she heard Lennox's voice, relief washing over her as Simmons explained the situation over the phone to Lennox cryptically. "Lennox, I'm with the kid and the girl. You know, the one with the attitude and a thing for metal, right?"

Storm narrowed her eyes at the back of Simmons' head with annoyance. The man was correct in that she had an attitude and if the former S-7 agent didn't tread carefully, she was going to show him just how much of an attitude she could have.

However, she chose to stay quiet though with much reluctance, listening to Simmons as he continued to speak. This situation was more important than her and her emotions. "We've got a possible resurrection going on over here. You're not going to believe where we are. Code Tut as in King Tutankhamen. Back of the one-dollar bill. Coordinates for airdrop: 29.5 north, 34.88 east. Write it down."

Without another word, Simmons abruptly hung up on Lennox, doing so in tandem with a hand that placed itself on Storm's shoulder. She turned around quickly to find it's source, fist raised in preparation to attack in case of an impending threat. But it was no threat. It was Leo with Mikaela at his side, a thin piece of black fabric shielding all but their eyes as the boy recoiled back from her in shock and fear. Storm was on edge and it showed.

"We've got to go!...Cops are coming right now, we need to go!" Leo said frantically.

The faint sounds of approaching sirens was all that Storm needed to believe Leo. She hastily ushered those around her back towards Bumblebee's alt-mode and they occupied their former seats, Storm quickly shutting the driver's side door behind her.

The Autobot scout took off at high speed in the opposite direction, successfully evading the police that had come to apprehend them, no doubt in her mind due to Simmons' phone call...or at least, she thought they'd evaded them. Awaiting them in the distance was a blockade. A military checkpoint with heavily armed guards, complete with guard towers.

Storm sneered in annoyance, ignoring the frantic whispers of those around her. There was nowhere to turn off the road to avoid them and if they turned around to avoid the checkpoint, it'd only raise suspicions, drawing the attention of the heavily armed humans that were fast approaching. They were going to have to face the situation head on and it seemed Simmons shared in her thoughts.

"Alright, chill...This is espionage now. I can handle it. These are my people. I'm one-thrity-sixth Arabic." Simmons said.

Wheelie emerged from the floorboard in-between Storm's feet to peak over the steering wheel with caution and curiosity. The small Decepticon's eyes locked onto the short human male in-front of them, muttering something that made Storm want to belt out in laughter. However, she resisted the urge. "Great, a freaking munchkin. Little people are mean. Tell him he's tall."

"That's a rather rude thing to say, little one." Storm replied, un-able to hide the amusement in her voice as she ushered the small Decepticon back into the floorboard to hide.

The afformentioned short human male approached Simmons' window and he rolled it down in response, being met with demands for everyone's passport in butchered english. Storm couldn't ignore the rush of panic that shot through her. _Shit_. They were in trouble.

She readied herself as Simmons smiled to the man, prepared to phase on her protective armor should the situation turn sour. She watched as the former S-7 agent began gesturing heavily with his hands whilst speaking due to the obvious language barrier. "The Dagger's Tip? Right? Egypt, Jordan. We want to go there...Me and my family. This is my family."

"This is my son-" He said, gesturing to Sam.

"My other son, my daughter." Simmons continued, gesturing towards Leo and Mikaela.

What Simmons did next filled Storm with shock and anger. He wrapped his arm around her waist tightly, pulling her closely against him, their cheeks touching. However, she strained a smile, attempting to keep up the man's current facade. "And this my wife. We're tourists, from New York."

She didn't miss how the short human's expression seemed to shift and his eyes brightened. Simmons' words had obviously struck a chord with the man. He quickly waved the group off to send them on their way, yelling at them with excitement as they drove off.

Storm kept up her strained smile until she was sure they were past the guard towers, quickly dropping the faked expression of happiness to show her true emotions. _Bitterness and anger_. She turned to look at Simmons, her voice taking on this same emotion as she spoke. "Let's get one thing straight, Simmons. I wouldn't pair-bond with you even if you were my last option in this universe. _Understand_?"

The man shared in her sentiment, shrugging his shoulders at her whilst avoiding looking at her. "You and me both, girl. I would _never_ marry an alien. Besides, we all know you were with the boss-bot anyways."

Storm expression shifted and she clicked lowly in the back of her throat over Simmons' comments, turning away from him for fear that he'd see her inner turmoil written all over her face due to the mention of Optimus. She quickly lost herself to her thoughts. They were _so close_ to their destination, but it wasn't close enough. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon. However, it didn't stop the well of anticipation that had built in her chest.

It wasn't long before Bumblebee's alt-mode was filled with sound of tired sighs and yawns and the Autobot scout pulled over at a set of stone ruins for shelter from the cold of the desert night alongside Skids and Mudflap. Everyone exited from his alt-mode and the humans split off from each other in order to find somewhere to settle down for the night as did Storm and Wheelie.

She chose the highest point that overlooked the ruins before her and sat down, smiling to herself softly when Wheelie climbed into her lap and sat down. She placed a hand gently on his small head, caressing it softly. The small Decepticon purred in approval of her actions, his only functioning optic shutting off as he relished in the sensation.

She continued with her actions even as she heard the sounds of a slip-space portal opening behind her along with the reverberating sound of a large body dropping onto the stone ground, her second-in-command and longest friend responding to her summons.

"You requested my presence, Tempest?" The Warden asked.

Storm turned to look over her shoulder, eyes narrowing with confusion. Eternal's gaze was lowered towards the ground, a hand placed over his chest. Was he...kneeling to her?

She sighed as she spoke. "I thought we'd already talked about this, Eternal. You know I don't like being bowed to. I get enough of that from the Sangheilli."

The Promethean titan chuckled at the thought as he stood, remembering his leader in her ill-fated attempts to convince the Sangheilli to treat her as their equal as he came to her side. No matter how much she tried, her words fell on deaf ears with the alien species and it always served to make her un-comfortable. Embarrassed, even.

He kneeled down at her side, taking immediate notice of her body posture. Her shoulders were slumped as she comforted the small being in her lap. However, he knew it was for her comfort, as well. He'd been around her long enough to know that when she was stressed, she would find ways to occupy her hands as a distraction.

"Are you feeling alright, Tempest?" The Warden asked with concern.

Storm shook her head in response. "No...but that's not the current matter at hand. I have new developments you need to hear."

He could see through his leader in her attempts to remain strong. However, he said nothing, listening to her as she continued to speak. "If Simmons is correct, then we're getting close to the Tomb of the Primes and the location of The Matrix...If we aren't able to bring Optimus back with it, then we have only one option left to protect Earth and it's people."

The Warden's expression shifted to one of curiosity. "What do you have planned?"

Storm met his gaze. "I'll have to steal The Matrix and take it with me to Requiem. It's the only place I know that the Decepticons will never reach."

"I hold the utmost faith in your judgement and decision, Tempest." The Warden said.

Storm averted her gaze to her lap, breathing out a heavy, emotion filled sigh. "I know but...I'm worried that the Autobots will object to my decision and they'd have every right to. I mean, I'd be upset too if another species attempted to take one my people's ancient relic's without permission but I _have_ to."

The Promethean titan could both see and hear Storm's inner turmoil. She was fighting a battle within herself of epic proportions that he couldn't even begin to comprehend. Storm was willing to risk everything, burn every bridge she'd ever made to up-hold The Mantle and to protect Earth. Her treaty with NEST. Her friends. _Everything_.

"This is not all you summoned me here for, is it?" The Warden asked with knowing.

Storm let out a soft laugh. "You see through me as though I'm made of glass, Eternal. You always have...You're right. Informing you of our current situation isn't all I summoned you for. I just...I really don't won't to be alone right now."

The Warden couldn't help but smile at his leader upon hearing her admission. "I've known you far too long for that, Tempest."

Storm smiled at him as she opened her mouth to speak but she was cut off by the sounds of screaming. _Sam's screaming_. He didn't miss the look of panic that crossed her face as she stood with haste, running off towards the direction she'd heard Sam's screams come from with Wheelie held tightly to her chest as she phased on her protective armor in the event of danger.

The Warden followed after her, keeping up with her running pace with long strides as she ran to her friend. Sam was frantic, pointing into a sleep-hazed Leo's face as he stuttered wildly. "Listen, astronomy class, page fourty-seven. Remember that?"

Leo scoffed in annoyance. "No. I was in college for less than a week. _Remember that_?"

The chestnut-haired boy ignored Leo's rude tone and comments, pointing to the sky behind him excitedly as he spoke. "Okay. You see those stars? You see how the last one touches the horizon? That's Orion's Belt, but it's also called the _Three Kings_."

Storm's breath hitched in her throat. Jetfire's orders, what would lead them to the tomb of the Primes, had been staring them in the face this whole time without their knowledge. The three stars that would act as their beacon stationary for all to see in the darkened night sky.

"The reason for that is the three Egyptian kings who built the pyramids of Giza built them to mirror those stars. It's an arrow staring us straight in the face. They all point due east towards Jordan, the mountains of Petra." Sam continued.

Bumblebee transformed down to his alt-mode in tandem with Skids and Mudflap, popping open his door's for them as Simmons looked around to everyone, speaking with determination. "Well, let's get going. There's no time to waste."

* * *

 **I hope you all don't mind if this chapter was kind of short.**

 **I've decided to split it up into two parts because I really didn't like the transition I'd put into my original attempt at this chapter and felt like it just didn't make sense. Like, at all. I feel like it'd be better as it's own standalone chapter.**

 **Despite this, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**


	41. Chapter 41

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **Hello, everyone!**

 **I'm sorry it took me longer than I'd originally wanted to return but I've been very busy planning out a vacation with my significant other for next month and it's been stressful trying to figure out what type of luggage bag I'll need and what all I should bring for the trip. Also...it's kind of hard to write when you burn the tip of your finger with a hot glue gun and it leaves a massive, painful blister.**

 **However, I'm back, blisterless, and ready to write. I'm going to do my best to finish up the events of RoTF before I leave for my trip but forgive me if I'm not able as I still have a lot to do.**

* * *

Storm exited from the driver's side of Bumblebee's alt-mode with Wheelie held against her chest, stroking the top of his small head gently to distract herself from the quiet yet overbearing anticipation she felt building within her chest.

The little bot didn't seem to mind, pushing himself further into her touches as she phased on her protective armor whilst she summoned her second-in-command. She turned to face the sounds of the slip-space portal opening behind her, being met with the sight of The Warden as he stood to his full height.

"It's got to be around here somewhere." Sam said to seemingly no one.

His words drew Storm's attention and she turned to the boy. He was quickly walking away from her as was everyone else. She set off after him in his search with The Warden in tow, taking in the stone doorway before her. It was massive, not a door made to scale for humans, that's for sure. They were _definitely_ in the right spot.

"It's here somewhere, guys." Sam said with a hopeful inflection.

Wheelie obviously didn't share in the boy's hope, responding to him with thick sarcasm. "Yeah, why? Because we're trusting grandpa Blackbird who doesn't even know what planet he's on?"

Storm looked down at the small Decepticon within her arms, giving him a small smile. "In defense of the guy who's so old he craps parachutes, this _is_ the biggest, most suspicious doorway I've ever seen in my life."

Her comments earned her a laugh from Wheelie as she followed after Sam into the large, stone structure. She looked around it's expanse and her heart dropped into her stomach. There was no tomb of the Primes, no Matrix, no anything. _It was empty_. No...something was missing. This _couldn't_ be all there was.

She began to examine the area around her thoroughly, failing to hear the sounds of a fight breaking out behind her until it was too late. When she turned around, she was met with the sight of a red, Cybertronian ped. She only had a split second to react and she used it to throw Wheelie away from her to safety, taking the full force of the hit to protect him.

She was thrown into the stone wall behind her harshly with an audible thump that infuriated The Warden. The Promethean titan roared ferociously as Storm struggled to regain her equilibrium. He rushed the Cybertronian twins, picking them up and slamming them into each other roughly before throwing them out of the large stone door and onto the heated sand below.

She dropped her head into her hands to stabilize herself. Everything around her was spinning wildly and it was quickly becoming nauseating. She attempted to regulate her breathing, trying to force back the bile she felt rising in her throat as a large hand was placed on her much smaller shoulder.

She slowly looked up to face the owner of the hand, coming face to face with a concerned Warden. She focused on the orange glow of his eyes to distract herself from fast spinning world around her and gradually, the sensation began to fade; the bile she had previously felt rising in her throat retreating back into her stomach.

"Are you hurt, Tempest?" The Warden asked.

Storm attempted to stand, letting out a breathy, pained sigh as she responded to the Promethean titan urgency. "I'm fine...What about Wheelie? Is he safe?"

The Warden held his hand out to her and she took immediate notice of the familiar blue Decepticon seated within it. "You may ask him yourself."

She felt relief wash over her as Wheelie stared up at her. He appeared for the most part un-harmed, his expression one of confusion with his tone taking on the same emotion. "You...you protected me and it got you hurt...why?"

Storm smiled at him softly. "Because you're worth protecting, Wheelie. I...wait, do you guy's hear that?"

She could hear the faint sounds of rushing air. Storm began looking around her for the origin of the sound, stopping once her back was facing The Warden and Wheelie. The stone wall was cracked from where her body had hit it...and the sound was coming from it. _Something was behind this wall_.

She ushered everyone away from the wall before pointing at it and yelling out to Bumblebee. "Be, shoot it!"

The Autobot scout did as Storm had commanded of him. He transformed his hand into a cannon, placing the end of it up to the wall before shooting it. The area was showered in dust and stone debris from the blast but Storm didn't let it stop her. She rushed through the dust cloud and and crouched through the hole into the newly opened area.

She was in awe at what she saw around her. She was standing in the tomb of the Primes, the proof of their sacrifice to keep Earth safe and other sentient worlds safe. Storm took in the sight, feeling herself being drawn in by an inexplicable source. She hesitantly reached out to touch the amalgamation of Cybertronian metal that surrounded her, dragging her clawed fingertips across it's surface gently.

Storm sucked in a sharp breath, quickly pulling her hand back and cradling it to her chest when she felt a strange energy course up through her arm and intelligible, corrupted warning signs began to cover the expanse of her HUD. Her Ancilla was being overloaded by an un-known source as she began to hear whispers reverberate around her, panic quickly building in her chest.

The formerly low-toned whispers soon began to escalate into deafening shouting and she brought her hands up to the sides of her head, pressing them in to the Forerunner cloth covering her armored head to try and block out the sound but to no avail. It simply wouldn't stop the incessant noise. She could make out nothing that the overlapping voices were saying aside from two repeated words.

" _Behind you_ "

She gritted her teeth to resist yelling out to the voices for them to stop, shutting her eyes tightly as she turned around to appease the voices assaulting her ears...everything went silent in response save for the sound of her armor clad foot hitting something. She slowly opened her eyes and looked down to the ground to find what she'd kicked. It was a small, metal object curved into an "s" shape.

She removed her hands from over where her ears would be as she kneeled down above the small object. She reached out to it with trembling hands, un-able to deny the strange hum of energy she felt resonating off the object that pulsated in rhythm with her own heartbeat.

Un-beknownst to her, Sam had been watching the whole situation play out, climbing into the hole behind her as she gently picked up the Matrix. Storm couldn't ignore the anticipation she felt building within her once again that day. They had it. They could revive Optimus...she would be able to see him again.

Her anticipation was short-lived, however, her expression shifting to one of horror beneath her mask as the Matrix began to crumble in her palms. She frantically tried to catch the ash-like dust in it's descent towards the ground but it simply slipped through her armored fingers like water. The Matrix had all but fell apart and she was powerless to stop it.

She began to shake violently. No...this couldn't be it. She began to pick up handfuls of the Matrix dust in both hands before she began forcing it together as if it would piece the Cybertronian relic back together. Her actions were irrational...she knew they were. But she couldn't stop. She refused to accept this as the end of their journey to save Earth. _To save Optimus_.

She continued to slam handfuls of the metalic powder together until she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, dropping her arms at her sides with defeat as tears began streaming down her face underneath her mask.

"That won't fix the Matrix, Stormy..." Sam said with sympathy.

Storm knew what she was doing wouldn't fix it without Sam telling her so...but she was devastated. For once, she was completely powerless; un-able to save those she cared for and their homeworld. And it _angered_ her.

"I know, Sam! But this-" She said with audible anger, un-able to hide the tears in her voice as she gestured to the dust at her feet. "this is bullshit! Our whole journey led to this? This...this pile of dust? No! I will _not_ let it end this way!"

Storm quickly stood from her place, turning around to make her exit from the tomb of the Primes but she was stopped by Sam grabbing her by the arm. "Calm down, Stormy! We'll figure this out...There's always another way. But until then, we'll take the Matrix dust with us. Maybe...maybe Ratchet and Jolt can figure out a way to put it back together or at the very least, make another."

Sam's words sparked an idea in Storm's mind. She turned to him, her voice filled with determination. "Maybe...but the Decepticons can't activate the star harvester if there _isn't_ one to activate to begin with. I just need to find it before they do."

What Storm said had obviously confused Sam. "What are you going to do, Stormy?"

She refused to answer that question now. Time was of the essence and if they had any chance at saving Earth, they needed to begin searching for the star harvester immediately. "Nothing if Ratchet or Jolt can fix the Matrix."

Sam was visibly suspicious of what Storm planned to do. However, he refrained from asking anymore questions in favor of taking off his shoe and sock, scooping up what remained of the Matrix into the piece of fabric before tying it off with a knot and putting back on his shoe.

Once done, he stood from his spot, making his way towards the exit of the tomb. He stepped down out of the hole in the wall and Storm followed after him. However, she was immediately stopped in her tracks upon her exit by the sound of a lone whisper behind her. She turned around to face the hole in the wall, expecting to hear the whisper again but she heard nothing, much to her surprise. The tomb of the Primes was dead silent.

Sam hadn't failed to notice Storm's sudden absence. He turned to look for her, finding her standing at the entrance to the tomb of the Primes. She was visibly on edge, this much could be seen in her body language. Did it have something to do with how she'd been covering her ears earlier?

"Everything okay, Stormy?" Sam asked with concern.

Storm was snapped out of her thoughts by Sam's question. She quickly turned her head to face him, stuttering as she answered him. Something that was abnormal for her. "Yeah, I, uh...I just thought I heard something. That's all."

The chestnut-haired boy raised on eyebrow at Storm with suspicion as she made her way towards him but he didn't press her for answers, choosing to stay quiet as they were met with glances of skepticism and disappointment from Leo, Simmons, and Mikaela.

"How are you so sure this is going to work, Sam?" The onyx-haired asked.

The female's words seemingly angered Sam, filling him with the same determination that Storm had exhibited moments ago. "Because I believe it. Optimus _never_ gave up on me or Storm. I owe him the same respect."

Storm was touched deeply by Sam's words. She turned to him look him in the eyes, smiling at him from underneath her mask as she gently took his hand in her armored one and gave it a light squeeze. He was right. Optimus had never given up on them and she refused to give up on him when he needed her most.

"Thank you, Sam." Storm said with emotion.

Sam returned her thanks with a soft smile and a nod. "Let's go. Optimus is waiting for us."

Storm nodded to him in return as she let go of his hand, following him out of the stone structure alongside his fellow humans and the Autobots and once outside, she stopped in her place to give the resting place of the Primes once last glance before setting off after her friends once again.

There was no mistaking it. She hadn't misheard the lone whisper that had called out to her as she'd exited from the tomb of the Primes. Whatever, or rather, _whoever_ had overloaded her Ancilla in it's attempts to speak with her had adressed her by something un-expected and impossible.

It had called her "Reclaimer".

* * *

 **Oh man, it looks like we've got some stuff going on here, don't we?**

 **In case you were all wondering, the voices speaking to Storm were the Primes. I feel like that'd be pretty obvious given where she was at and what she was touching when the the voices started. But, it can never hurt to further explain yourself.**

 **I believe that because of her Ancilla, since it expands her consciousness and memory, would be able to connect with the residual energy of the Primes that would be left in their final resting place and bodies. Think of it as what happens to Sam when he "dies". The only difference is Storm is doing it while both conscious and alive. Also, I'm one of those people that believes that energy such as that never dies, it only transforms. (See what I did there? Get it? Because it's Transformers?...I know, I'm an idiot, haha.)**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**

 **(Edit: Before anyone gives me crap about having the *voice* call Storm Reclaimer, I want to insert this definition for it here. "The exact qualifications of a Reclaimer are not entirely clear, but only a human or Forerunner can be a Reclaimer." So, given that she is a Forerunner, Storm meets the requirements for being able to be called Reclaimer.)**


	42. Chapter 42

**AN: I** **don't own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **I apologize for being gone so long. I've been** ** _extremely_** **busy. After returning from vacation my significant other and I came to the decision that since we liked the place we'd went on vacation so much that we want to move there and we've been working hard to get everything set up and to make that happen.**

 **Plus the 4th of July was coming up so I decided to take an extended break for my own sanity and to spend time with my family. I want to spend as much time with them as I can before I move as I'll be very far away from them and visits will be difficult to arrange.**

 **Just a heads up though, if I disappear for awhile after this chapter is released, it's because the Moments of Triumph begin on the 9th (the day this is uploaded) for Destiny 2 and I want to get the shirt just like I did last time.**

 **I promise I will return to uploading once I've earned it or maybe even before then because I found out today that like, 5 of the triumphs will be locked behind the Solstice of Heroes. Not sure if they did that last time or if I just forgot but I'm going to assume it's just me being forgetful.**

* * *

As she followed Sam away from the ruins that were now long behind her the sudden sounds of Simmons' excited screaming assaulted her ears. Storm ran alongside him towards the direction of the sound where she was soon stopped in her tracks at the former S-7 agent's side; her gaze drawn towards the heavens far in the distance where human aircraft could be seen.

It was the Airforce, no doubts in her mind that they were responding to Simmons' call to Lennox. She watched on silently as the backs of the aircraft slowly opened, humans diving out fearlessly towards the ground alongside Optimus' battered and lifeless form, parachutes breaking their fall.

Her chest tightened upon seeing the Autobot leader for the first time since his demise at the hands of Megatron. It felt as if someone had their hands wrapped painfully around her heart, the breath stolen from her lungs as her last living memory of him reaching out to her forced it's way through her mind.

Sam noticed her silence and the immediate change in her stance as Optimus' body was dropped from the large aircraft in the distance. He placed a hand gently on her armored shoulder drawing her attention. She looked over at him, thankful in that moment that she was wearing protective mask. It shielded her from exposing her vulnerability and the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"You think you can bring him back to life with that pixie dust?" Simmons asked Sam.

Sam removed his hand from Storm's shoulder, looking over at Simmons as he responded to him. "Absolutely...Now let's go."

Storm removed her gaze from the sky as the Autobots transformed down to their alt-modes, following Sam and Mikaela towards Bumblebee alongside Simmons and Leo. As she stopped at the passenger side of the yellow scout Wheelie stopped at her feet, The Warden standing behind her. She smiled down at him softly from beneath her mask before gently picking him up and turning towards the Promethean titan.

She held Wheelie out towards him. "It's too dangerous for him here...Take him to Requiem where he'll be safe."

"And disable his communications systems once you get there." Storm continued via her private link to The Warden. "While I trust Wheelie, the Decepticons finding my home world is something we _can't_ afford."

The Warden nodded in response to her demands as he took the small being gently from her grasp. He cradled him carefully to his chest as a slip-space portal opened behind the Promethean titan, dragging him and the small Decepticon into the inky void before closing behind them.

"I'll see you again soon, little one." Storm whispered under her breath.

Once she was sure they were gone and Wheelie was safe, Storm turned back around towards Bumblebee, climbing into the passenger side of his alt-mode with haste. He shut the door behind her before setting off at high speeds in the direction of the humans and Optimus.

They had closed nearly half the distance when a flare shot into the sky capturing everyone's attention. Bumblebee switched his direction towards the flare, swinging himself around on his axis. The Autobot scout wasn't the only one to see it, however; an all too familiar jet boasting thick, black markings quickly flying towards them and eventually, over them. _It was Starscream_.

The Decepticon seeker turned once he was far enough ahead of them, transforming and hovering in mid-air before he began to fire off missiles wildly in their direction. Storm braced herself as Bumblebee jerked harshly to the side to evade the incoming projectiles, speeding down a sand embankment and drifting around it's corner.

They had successfully dodged the missiles, but Starscream was still hot on their trail. Once again in his alt-mode, he was chasing after them, firing in their direction as Leo screamed in terror. Mikaela and Sam begged for the boy to stop but he didn't. That's when Simmons reached into his pocket and leaned around the driver's seat. The audible zap of his tazer resounded throughout the Camaro and after that, all was quiet save for the sounds of gunfire around them.

Though Storm didn't agree with his methods, she was thankful for the silence. "I can't believe I'm saying this...but thank you, Simmons. I couldn't take much more of his screaming."

Simmons looked to Storm with narrowed eyes, un-able to believe that she was actually thanking him given her obvious disdain for him over the past few days. "I...You're welcome."

Starscream suddenly transformed mid-air, attempting to land on top of Bumblebee's alt-mode and crush them but to no avail. The yellow scout dodged his attempts, driving in between his legs. The Decepticon seeker began to fire more missiles in their direction in the attempts to thwart their arrival to Optimus. _He knew they had the Matrix_.

Bumblebee pushed his engine to it's limits leaving Starscream behind in the dust, weaving in and out of anything in his path to try and lose him and eventually, it worked. The Autobot scout quickly pulled to a stop and flung open his doors for those within to exit. Storm knew exactly what he was planning without him saying it. She made her exit with haste and everyone followed alongside her; Simmons dragging a semi-conscious Leo behind him onto the sand.

"Bumblebee is going to act as the decoy to lure Starscream away while we make our escape with The Matrix." Storm said. "If he believes we're still in his alt-mode then it should give us just enough time to reach NEST and revive Optimus."

Simmons stepped up in that moment, pointing behind him to Skids and Mudflap as he spoke to Sam. "I'll help draw their fire with Huey and Dewey there. You get to those soldiers...I hope that dust works, kid."

"I hope it works for you too, girl." Simmons said with sincerity. "I hope you get Optimus back."

Storm couldn't ignore the way her chest filled with an indescribable emotion...maybe there was some redeeming qualities left in the former S-7 agent.

She nodded at him, trying to hide the tears her voice. "Thank you, Simmons."

She turned her attention to Sam, grabbing his arm lightly. "Come on, Sam. We have to go before Starscream finds us."

The chestnut-haired boy took Mikaela by the hand as Storm detached her bolt shot's from her thighs and raised them up to her chest. She ran off in the opposite direction of Bumblebee, the sight of a rundown, abandoned village slowly coming into view; the perfect place to hide from Starscream while Bumblebee led him away.

She pushed herself forward with Sam and Mikaela matching her pace. Storm guided the pair towards a building and quickly opened the door, ushering them inside with haste before walking in and shutting the door behind them.

She inspected the inside of the building as Sam and Mikaela attempted to catch their breath. They sat down on the sand covered floor, beginning to speak to each other when Storm abruptly cut them off. She held out a hand to them as the signal for them to remain quiet when she began to feel heavy vibrations reverberate under her feet that were slowly getting closer.

In tandem with the vibrations, she could hear the deep, alien tones that she could only associate with Cybertronian speech. She looked over at Sam and Mikaela, quietly holding a lone index finger up to her mask. They nodded to her in understanding as she gripped her bolt shot's tightly, fingers placed firmly on their trigger's.

A large shadow passed by the glass bottle enforced wall to Storm's right, blocking out any trace of the desert sun hovering in the sky just outside. Whatever it was casting the shadow, it was looking for them, this much was clear. They were trapped like sitting ducks with no way out.

Storm leaned in close to the semi-transparent wall to catch a glimpse of what was circling around them outside but could see nothing, the multi-colored glass bottles too thick for her to get a clear view of their enemy.

She began to hear a faint buzzing sound coming from her left and she turned her attention towards the sound to find Sam holding a small, metallic, insect like being between two fingers...and it had red eyes. Storm dove towards him to stop Sam as he reached towards it's head with his free hand, too late in intercepting him as he pulled the small insect apart with ease.

All sound outside suddenly ceased as the life faded from the Cybertronian insect's eyes and Storm knew there was no coincidence...this small insect had been sent to survey the area and find them. She pointed over towards the door on the opposite side of the small building, directing Sam and Mikaela's attention towards it. They needed to get out of here. _Fast_.

They made their way towards the door as quietly as possible but they were too late. The roof of the building was ripped away by a Decepticon. Storm dropped one of her bolt shot's, the weapon disappearing in a flurry of orange particles as she phased in a pulse grenade into her hand. She quickly primed it for detonation before throwing it with all of her force at the Decepticon's face. It adhered itself directly between the being's eyes and Storm bolted for the door.

"Run, Sam!" She shouted.

The chestnut-haired boy threw the wooden blockade open and rushed outside with Mikaela. Storm followed after them with haste, phasing back in her lone bolt shot as she heard the sounds of her grenade detonating behind her.

She followed after the pair as they ran up a set of stone stairs, narrowly avoiding the mace-like appendage of the Decepticon who had recovered from the blast of her pulse grenade though not un-scathed; half of his face melted away from the ionized blast.

The stairs led them to the roof of a building. They leapt from it's surface to a building below as more flares were fired off in the distance, effectively losing their pursuer. Storm hit the stone surface and rolled, evenly distributing the shock of the fall and bouncing back up onto her feet. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her towards the flares in the distance when she saw something that made her blood run cold. A Decepticon had moved into their path, blocking them in as it transformed before their eyes and spat Sam's parents out at it's feet.

The chestnut-haired boy blindly ran towards them and the Decepticon in panic as he shouted out to Ron and Judy despite Storm urging him not to. Everything about this situation _reeked_ of a trap.

The red Decepticon raised one of it's weapon at Sam upin seeing him approach, stopping him in his tracks. He slowly held up his hands in surrender as Storm raised her bolt shot's at the Deceptic. It raised it's other hand, transforming it into a cannon and aiming it directly at her.

They stood there like that, aimed at each other but never firing in their alien stalemate as she knew that one wrong move on her part would result in the deaths of Sam, Ron, and Judy. There were no doubts in her mind that the only thing saving them in that moment was Sam's possession of The Matrix and the Decepticons knowing that he had it.

"Don't hurt them. This is what you want." Sam said, gesturing with his eyes to the sock containing what little remained of the Cybertronian relic the Decepticons were after. "You don't want them...I know what you want. And I know that you need me because I know about The Matrix."

Storm snarled, a deadly venom audible in her voice. "Don't you _dare_ give this slag-heap The Matrix, Sam."

Storm's comments visibly angered her enemy. The being snarled at her in his native tongue when the low-toned sounds of a whistle drew her attention to the building behind it. She glanced over towards the direction of the sound with her eyes and was met with the sight of Bumblebee. He was holding a large finger up to his mouth plate for her to stay quiet and she understood in that moment what was happening. Sam was never going to offer up The Matrix. _He was acting as a distraction so Bumblebee could save his parents_.

She watched Bumblebee as he slowly yet silently climbed onto the roof of the building, her mask concealing the movement of her eyes from her enemy.

"Now, Bee!" She shouted.

The yellow scout leapt towards the Decepticon and kicked it away from the group, allowing her the chance to get the humans around her to safety. She ushered them towards the side of a building to hide from their current danger when a glint of silver from the corner of her eye drew her attention. A panther-esque Decepticon was stalking up behind Bumblebee carefully for a sneak attack.

Her body filled with panic and dread. She couldn't help Bumblebee without leaving the humans alone, putting them in danger if more Decepticons showed up...but she knew someone who could.

She opened her communications link to The Warden, speaking with stress. "We've got a panther Decepticon trying to ambush us, Eternal! Sending coordinates to our location now!"

Within seconds of her call for help a slip-space portal silently opened behind Bumblebee and The Warden wasted no time diving out of it, tackling the metal beast to the ground. Storm watched from around the corner of the building as he stood, grabbing onto each side of the Cybertronian panther's body roughly, ripping his enemy in half with his bare hands as a feral sound escaped his throat.

He threw the two halves of the being in separate directions of each other angrily before phasing in his sword of hard light to assist Bumblebee with the still present threat. The yellow scout grabbed the red Decepticon in it's moment of distraction thanks to The Warden's sudden presence, pulling his enemy towards him and gripping onto it's arms tightly at the joint, mercilessly ripping the appendages free from it's body before spinning the battered Cybertronian around and pushing him towards The Warden.

The Promethean titan grabbed onto the enemy Bumblebee had all but thrown at him and thrust his sword deep into the center of his chest, puncturing his spark. The Decepticon's jaw went slack and the light of his eyes flickered out of existence.

With the threat now eradicated, The Warden loosened his grip on his enemy seeing and the Decepticon's body fall to the ground, limp and lifeless.

Storm breathed out a heavy sigh of relief as she turned to face the chestnut-haired boy at her side. "We have to get your parents somewhere safe. It's too dangerous for them here, Sam."

Ron looked at her, obviously not recognizing her, then to Sam; his expression marred with anger and panic. "No! We are _not_ leaving you here, Sam. If we go, we all go together!"

"Dad, stop, okay?" Sam pleaded. "You're going to go with Bumblebee. Get in the car and he'll get you to safety."

The portly man began to argue. "No! You're my son! This isn't up for discussion!"

 _They didn't have the time for this_. Storm hastily walked towards Ron, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him towards her as she recceded her protective mask away from her face; exposing her identity to him.

"Enough, Ron!" She yelled. "It's too dangerous for you and Judy here, and I'll be _damned_ if I lose some of the only family I've ever known!...I will protect Sam with _every_ fiber of my being even if it kills me and you know I will. So please... _Go_."

The man was staring at her in a mixture of surprise, confusion, and recognition. _He knew her secret now_...but she knew exposing her identity was the only way she could convince him to leav, knowing that she was there to protect Sam and that he wasn't alone.

In that moment, Ron did something she hadn't expected. He embraced her tightly before pulling back, pointing into her face with a stern tone and an index finger.

"You come back in one piece, Storm, you hear me? _Both of you_." He said.

She nodded to him with a soft smile. "I will...You have my word."

The portly man took his wife by the hand and pulled her towards Bumblebee who was in his alt-mode. Storm watched the doors shut behind them before turning to Sam. "Let's go. Optimus is waiting."

The boy followed behind her with Mikaela at his side and The Warden at his back, all of them continuing towards the origin point of the flares and towards the sounds of an ensuing battle. As they came in close, Storm could see Ironhide and the Arcee triplets fighting back against Decepticon forces that had swarmed their position.

She guided Sam, Mikaela, and The Warden into a damaged building for cover, placing her back up against a stone wall with her bolt shot's clutched tightly in her hands. She peaked around an open window to her left where Flare-Up spotted her, hastily abandoning the fight and making her way towards them.

"Follow us to the pillars." She said. "We'll take you to Optimus."

As Flare-Up turned around to lead them to their destination, a lone missile struck her, sending her crashing through the wall directly over their heads and offlining her on impact.

Storm ushered Sam and Mikaela up off the ground and they ran as fast as their legs could carry them towards the pillars, dodging and weaving through the village ruins and heavy gunfire along the way.

As they turned a corner, Storm spotted Sideswipe. She yelled out to him, alerting the Autobot frontliner and everyone around him to their presence. Lennox and his team rushed towards them, dragging them behind cover. They were heavily outnumbered and it seemed The Warden realized this. More of the Promethean titan's bodies dropped out onto the battle field to provide assistance as structures crumbled around them from both human and Decepticon fire.

"You better have a good reason to be here." Lennox said with stress as he reloaded his weapon.

Sam ignored the NEST Major's comment. "Where's Optimus?" He asked.

The man pointed across the courtyard. "Over there."

Sam held up the sock containing what remained of the Matrix for Lennox to see as he spoke. "I have to get to him _right now_."

Lennox shook his head. "Not with an air-strike coming you're not."

"You don't understand." Sam said with seriousness. "I have The Matrix. I need to get to him _now_."

Lennox ushered everyone further behind cover as the ground shook violently, a familiar voice following soon after. Storm peeked out from cover to see Jetfire rush up behind a Decepticon, slicing him in half with a Cybertronian axe; the older mech failing to see the scorpion-esque Deception emerging from the ground behind him, ripping a hole out of his stomach. _They were going to lose the battle_ _at this rate_.

"We're going to make a break through on my command, okay?" Lennox said. "You guys stick with me, you understand? You stay on my ass."

The NEST Major peaked out from around cover to survey the area ahead of them when Epps crawled to his side. I hope these F-16's have good aim."

Lennox scoffed. "Yeah? Why is that?"

Epps' voice was blank and lacking emotion as he responded. "I told them to hit the orange smoke."

A plume of orange smoke bellowed up directly at Storm's side. She slowly turned her head to face Epps, eyes narrowed at him from beneath her mask. "Uh...Epps? Are you referring to _that_ orange smoke...You know, the one at my side?"

The man shrugged his shoulders with non-chalance. "It wasn't my best toss."

Everyone clamored towards Optimus' body to escape the incoming air-strike, just narrowly avoiding the barrage of missiles that followed soon after their evacuation of the area, taking out multiple Decepticons in it's wake.

Ironhide and The Warden emerged moments later from the cloud of dust un-harmed. It didn't stop the reinforcements from pouring in, however, The Decepticons splitting up Lennox, Mikaela, and Epps from their group.

Storm and Sam ran as fast as they could towards Optimus' body. They had almost closed the distance across the courtyard when Storm heard the sounds of a cannon whirring behind them. Time seemed to slow in that moment as she turned her head to face the source of the sound. _It was Megatron_. His cannons aimed at them and ready to fire.

She dropped her bolt shot's with a flurry of orange particles andvshe ran to Sam's side. Storm forced her shoulder into his side, knocking him out of the way to take the force of the blast in his place. She was hit full force by the concussive shot that rattled the ground, sending her flying into the air and eventually, the un-forgiving sand below.

The air was knocked from her lungs upon impact and she struggled to breath, inhaling the dry sand that had belowed up around her. Her throat burned and her body felt like it was on fire; her world spinning.

Storm struggled to stand and once she had, her legs buckled from underneath her. She screamed out in agony as she collapsed to the ground, shaking from the immense pain she felt coming from her legs.

She looked down at them to find the armor covering her legs burned beyond recognition, large holes and sharp debris jutting out of her legs. She reached down to a large, jagged piece of rock that was sticking out of her leg and shakily grasped it. Storm breathed in deep, gathering her composure before proceeding to hold her breath and pulling at the object in her leg with all her might.

It came free with a sickening pop and Storm whimpered pain. She threw the jagged piece of rock away from her, panting heavily as she rolled onto her stomach. In the clearing dust she could see a figure lying on the ground a short distance away from her and her heart sank into her stomach. _No_. _Please don't let it be Sam_.

Storm dug her clawed hands into the sand, dragging her battered body towards the shadowy form on the ground in front of her one inch at a time. She couldn't hold back the guttural sob that escaped her throat as she came in close. _It was Sam_... _and he wasn't breathing_.

She continued to drag herself forward until she was at Sam's side, dropping her head onto his chest, looking for any signs of a heartbeat...there was none. _No_. Storm lifted herself up as much as she could and placed her armored hands on his chest, preforming chest compressions on the boy despite her knowing in the back of her mind that it wouldn't do any good. Sam's heart was no longer beating... _her friend was gone_.

She continued to do chest compressions until she collapsed under the weight of her own damaged body, burying her armored face into Sam's chest as she sobbed. "Please don't leave me, Sam...I can't lose you, too..."

She waited for her to wake up, for it to all be a horrible nightmare but it wasn't...that was when she heard whispering voices float around her like the wind in unison of each other, the same one's she recognized from the Tomb of the Primes.

" _The Matrix of leadership is not found, Reclaimer. It is earned._ "

Storm heard a deep gasp from beneath her and she pulled back as Sam shot up from his spot on the ground with wide eyes that were filled with purpose and determination...he was alive. She didn't know how, but in this moment, she didn't care.

She wrapped her arms around Sam in a tight hug until she began to feel a faint hum of energy that she recognized all too well resonate around her. She pulled back and looked down at Sam's hands. The Matrix was no longer dust, once again whole and in the same shape as she'd found it. She looked back up into Sam's eyes.

"It's time to bring him back." Storm said with renewed hope.

With her legs being of no use, she activated the gravitational manipulator of her suit to hover above the ground, hissing out in pain as her damaged legs dangled beneath her; their own weight adding to her pain. She ignored it, however, following after Sam as he ran towards Optimus' body. She watched with bated breath as he scaled the Autobot leader's chest and raised his arms above his head, slamming one point of the matrix down into his destroyed spark.

Optimus' body lurched violently as the energy of The Matrix coursed through him and his systems roared to life. Storm receeded back her protective mask as his optics flickered back to life in the familiar shade of cerulean blue that she'd went without seeing for what felt like an eternity.

The Autobot leader rolled onto his side, coughing up the sand that had accumulated in his vocal processor when his gaze immediately fell to Sam and then Storm. His optics flashed white as his eyes roamed over her body and down to her damaged and bleeding legs.

"Boy...Tempest. You returned for me." Optimus said.

Storm couldn't hide the smile that spread across her face hearing the Autobot leader say her name. "Welcome home, my Prime."

The light of Optimus' eyes dimmed into a darker shade of blue after she uttered those words, the urge to claim Storm as his mate stronger than ever before due to the her possessive term of claim for him. It set his newly repaired spark alight with emotion.

He had no time to linger on the emotion, however; The Fallen teleporting to him and pressing his back firmly into the sand with a metallic foot. He ripped The Matrix free from his chest before teleporting away just as fast as he'd appeared to the top of one of the pyramids just off in the distance alongside Megatron.

Optimus struggled to stand as The Fallen proceeded with his plan to activate the energon harvester that lay hidden in the tip of one of the pyramids of Giza. Storm watched on in horror as a beam of light emerged from the deadly machine, slowly beginning to harvest the energy of their sun and converting it to energon.

Jetfire slowly approached Optimus, holding his injured stomach as he spoke. "All my Decepticon life, I never did a _thing_ worth doing until now...Optimus, take my parts and you will have a power you've never known. Fulfill your destiny!"

Without another word, Jetfire ripped out his own spark. Storm slowly hovered towards Jetfire's now lifeless form, placing a hand gently on top of his forehead. "The Domain will remember and honor your noble sacrifice, Jetfire...May it welcome you with open arms."

Ratchet and Jolt approached the elderly seeker's lifeless form before the Autobot medic turned to her. "Back away, sparkling. The energy from what we're about to do will damage you if you're too close."

Storm did as Ratchet said and backed away from Jetfire as he barked out an order to the blue Autobot at his side. "Jolt! Electrify! Transplant those afterburners!"

Jolt attached one of his electrified tendrils to Jetfire's body, the other to Optimus. The air began to crackle with electricity as pieces of Jetfire flew through the air towards the Autobot leader, adhering themselves to his body and giving him the ability to fly.

Storm watched on as Optimus ascended into the sky after The Fallen. He flew into him, knocking the disgraced Prime off the top of the pyramid where they battled in their descent towards the ground...but the energon harvester was still going. She felt panic wash over her. If the deadly machine wasn't stopped, Earth was doomed to a permanent ice age where all life would cease to exist.

"Lennox, gather all your men and the Autobots around me, _now_!" Storm shouted.

"What are you going to do?" He questioned her.

She turned to look at him, her expression deadly. "Just trust me."

The NEST Major did as he was told, gathering his men around her alongside the Autobots as a slip-space portal the likes of which they'd never seen enveloped the sky, giving way to a phoenix-like machine with glowing blue eyes causing everyone around her to gasp. The massive creature released an almost deafening trumpeting noise to signal it's arrival.

"What the hell is that?" Lennox asked almost breathlessly.

Storm kept her eyes trained on the being in the sky as she answered him. "My Guardian."

She turned to face The Warden as she spoke with seriousness. "I'm going to use the Guardian to destroy the energon harvester and I'm going to re-route the energy of my suit from any un-necessary systems, forcing it all into shield production before it fires to protect us from the blast."

The Warden narrowed his eyes at her in disapproval. "Forerunner armor was never built to withstand that kind of energy output without an external source to feed from and you know this...It could kill you, Tempest."

Storm dropped her head. "...I know, Eternal. But someone has to stop the energon harvester and this is the only way. That machine is made of Cybertronian metal and you and I both know that unless we can get an Autobot up there, which Megatron will never allow, only Forerunner weaponry is powerful enough to destroy it."

"Then use me. Use the energy of my body to feed from and combine it with your own." The Warden said.

"No." Storm said bluntly. "That will kill you, Eternal...We have no builders left to make you more bodies and I haven't yet found a way to make you more to increase your already dwindling supply. I _refuse_ to lose you entirely."

The Promethean titan approached her side as the Guardian hovering menacingly in the sky trumpeted once more to signal the charging of it's weapons. He took one of her much smaller hands in his as he reassured her. "It's only one...allow me to do this for you. To help you keep Earth safe for The Mantle. To keep _you_ safe."

"Okay, Eternal." Storm reluctantly agreed. "But no more losing bodies after this until I find a way to make you more! Period!"

Her Guardian trumpeted once again as she removed her hand from The Warden's and placed it against the center of his chest where his energy core resided; willing forward her protective mask. _It was ready to fire_. She re-routed the energy to all of her systems except basic life support and her gravity manipulator, forcing it into her systems responsible for shield production as she began draining the energy from Eternal's body.

A large, half-dome shield of orange hard-light surrounded her and those around her as the hard-light holding together The Warden's body faded out of existence, his energy mingling with her own as the remainder of his form disappeared in a flurry of orange particles with the rest of his many bodies on the field crowding around her.

She turned her attention towards her Guardian in the sky as she issued it a command. Storm could feel the energy shift in the air as all six of it's converging beam cannons fired in unison of each other, merging into one stream of energy that decimated the pyramid holding the energon harvester and with it, the machine itself.

The force from the blast sent sand and stone debris from the village and pyramid flying towards them. It pelted Storm's shield harshly and she struggled to keep the protective barrier up. Her suit was beginning to overheat from the excessive drain of energy, warnings blaring across her HUD in response to the rising temperatures but she wasn't going to stop. She needed to hold on. _Just a little longer_.

She pushed harder to keep the shield going, refusing to let it down until she heard the sound of her Guardian trumpeting once more; the signal that the large, phoenix-like being had accomplished it's task. The energon harvester was no more. _Earth was safe_.

Storm dropped her arms to her sides as the last of the energy from her suit drained, deactivating her gravitational manipulator against her will. She began falling towards the ground but The Warden caught her on one knee, saving her from the pain of damaging her already injured legs.

She collapsed back into his gentle hold as she receeded away her protective mask with a hiss, un-able to deny nor ignore the steam that escaped upon it's release from over her face. She breathed in deep, trying to ignore the heat that she felt cooking her inside of her own suit as it attempted to regulate her temperature; drawing in solar energy from the bright, desert sun hovering above her in the sky to restore it's systems.

Lennox approached Storm and The Warden upon seeing her sudden drop from the air. He placed his hand on her upper shoulder with concern, beginning to speak before he reeled his hand back in pain, shouting with the same emotion. "Holy shit, Stormy, you're hot!"

Storm scoffed out a breathy laugh. "I know I am Lennox but you're married. So hands off."

The NEST Major chuckled, his burnt hand clutched to his chest. "Even if that was the case I know that if Optimus didn't kill me first, Sarah would."

"Speaking of boss-bot." Lennox said pointing behind her. "Here he comes."

The Warden turned and Storm looked towards the direction Lennox had pointed. The Autobot leader was striding towards her, Jetfire's many parts falling away from his body as he walked. A rush of relief washed over her as she watched him. He was alive. _He had won_.

She held out her arms towards him as he came in close in a universally understood gesture. The metal corners of his mouth curled up in a smile as he reached for her, plucking her gently from The Warden's hold; taking care to avoid her badly damaged legs as he cradled her close to his chest and spark.

"Is it finally over?" Storm asked with audible relief.

Optimus covered heher back with his large hand, pressing her further into him as he answered her. "Yes, Tempest...It is over."

She pulled back from Optimus' embrace and he moved his hand. She gripped onto his chest plating and lifted herself towards his face, not caring who saw as she touched her forehead intimately to his nasal plating, both of her armored hands resting on each side of his cheek plating as she nuzzled into him. _She wasn't about to let her chance to express her feelings for Optimus slip away again_.

The Autobot leader placed his hand against her back once more, pressing her further into his facial plating as his spark thrummed wildly along with his racing processor, no longer having any doubts if Storm felt for him just as he did her given her current display.

That was when they both heard strangled laughter coming from behind them. Storm rolled her eyes, turning to face the source of the sound before narrowing them. _Sideswipe_. "Sides...Don't you _dare_."

"First comes love, then comes a sparkling!" The Autobot frontliner sang in-between his mischevious laughter.

Storm sighed heavily as she turned back around to Optimus, collapsing her head against his chest plating as her face flushed with heat. "I'm going to murder him, Optimus. _I swear it_."

The Autobot leader laughed off her empty threats, running a large, index finger up and down her back; relishing in the moment as Storm spoke up once again, doing so lowly so that only he could hear it. "Promise me that you'll never leave me again."

"I promise you this, Tempest." He said earnestly. "I will _never_ leave your side again."

* * *

 **Yay! Optimus is back and the shenanigans back at NEST can continue with everything back to normal!**

 **Also, I'm sure not everyone will agree but I like the way I've written The Warden in my story. He looks menacing and serious all the time but deep down he's a big softy. At least when it comes to Storm he is, but technically, he sort of 'raised' her after finding her wandering around Requiem so I feel like it makes sense for him to have that bond with her.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**

 **(PS: I have some good stuff coming up in the chapters in-between the ending of RoTF, so technically this chapter, and the start of DoTM...Let's just say word is going to get back to the UNSC that Storm destroyed one of the pyramids of Giza with a Guardian and some people aren't going to be too happy about it. I mean, how could they not find out about it, though? Guardians are huge. You can't exactly miss one.**

 **Also, it'll kind of set things up for when we start actually seeing the UNSC and some very important characters after the events of DoTM but I'm still planning that out and how it will go heavily.)**


	43. Chapter 43

**AN: I do not own Transformers nor Halo.**

 **I'm finally back!**

 **I know I was gone for awhile but I'm proud to say that I earned my Moments of Triumph shirt and managed to upgrade my Solstice armor to Majestic! I'm working on masterworking it now which I'm most of the way through so I figured I'd take a break and work on this chapter despite me being sick.**

 **This may be the only chapter that comes out for a bit because when September 13th hits, no one is going to see me for awhile...probably not even my own family, haha. I'll be retreating into my nerd-cave and playing Borderlands 3 till my hands cramp up.**

 **And let me tell you, I am SUPER freaking hyped. That doesn't mean I'm going to forget about this story, though. Once the "new" wears off I'll return to writing in-between my obssessive gaming sessions but really, can you blame me? I've waited, like, 7 years for this.**

 **7 YEARS.**

 **Enough of my excited rambling, though. I need to actually start on this chapter, haha.**

* * *

"Ow, Ratchet!" Storm hissed as the Autobot medic pulled free a piece of shrapnel that was lodged into her upper thigh with a pair of forceps.

Her leg involuntarily jerked up in response to the painful sensation, her armored knee connecting harshly with his holoform's face. Ratchet recoiled back from the blow, clutching at his nose with one hand in obvious pain.

He narrowed his eyes at her as he continued to hold at his nose. "You did that on purpose, _didn't you_?"

Storm smirked at the older mech. "I don't know what you're talking about, Hatchet."

She hadn't meant to knee him in the face, her reaction done out of pure reflex; but that didn't make it any less amusing. And the emotion was written _all_ _over_ her face. The Autobot medic clearly didn't share in her amusement, however, scowling at her from over his glasses.

"You're lucky that you are currently injured, sparkling. Otherwise I would take you up to the deck of this naval vessel and throw you into the ocean." He said.

Storm scoffed. " _Bullshit_. You and I both know that if you did, Optimus would throw you in after me. And that's if The Warden didn't get to you first."

The Autobot medic ignored her comments in favor of returning to surveying the injuries to her legs, knowing well that she was right. He took her most injured leg into his hands, holding it by the calf as his eyes roamed over it. The armor had been almost completely melted away, dried blood coating her formerly pristine grey armor as he prodded at the burned Forerunner metal.

"For the last time, Ratchet! My legs are fine!" Storm hissed painfully through her teeth. "My armor will repair itself so leave them the hell alone before I jump off this table and beat you're aft!"

Ratchet narrowed his eyes at her. "This is my duty as medic, Storm. Everything would go much faster if you would just cooperate."

She grabbed an object from off a table at her side, _a wrench_ ; pointing it threateningly at the Autobot medic. "And my _duty_ is about to be shoving this wrench up your aft if you don't leave my legs alone."

He was silent for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and letting go of her leg. If she wished to be left alone, _then so be it_. He turned away from her and began walking towards the door behind him, stopping just in front of it before turning to look at Storm with an evil smirk on his face. "If that is what you wish...Good luck figuring out how to get out of here, sparkling."

Storm's eyes widened. _Shit_. She'd forgotten all about her inability to walk and this room was far too narrow and compact for her to activate her gravity manipulator nor teleport out. She yelled out to the Autobot medic as the door closed behind him but he ignored her pleading for him to wait...She was stuck.

She cursed to herself silently. _Ratchet was an asshole_. She looked around the room for any other way out that didn't require her to use her heavily injured legs. There was none. If she was going out of here, she would simply have to try and ignore the pain. Storm gripped the sides of the bed beneath her tightly, pushing herself up with all the strength in her arms; her armored exo-skeleton providing her with extra leverage and locking the joints of it's elbows to help her hold her weight.

She delicately put her feet on the ground and gritted her teeth. _The pain was immense_. But she refused to be helpless in this situation and once she finally got up onto the deck of this ship, she was going to show Ratchet just how she earned her name from The Warden.

Storm reached forward with one hand to a table that was just within reach, griping onto it tightly before moving her other hand onto it's surface- elbow joints locked to support her weight and keep it off her legs. She stood there for several moments, struggling to keep herself upright as she breathed heavily from the strain. Her body was exhausted from the battle in Egypt and her muscles were desperate to give out from underneath her.

That was when she began to hear the sounds of heavy footsteps making their way down the hallway just outside. The footsteps continued to grow closer, stopping just outside the door before opening and revealing their owner. Storm breathed out a deep sigh of relief. _It was Optimus_. _And he was in his holoform_.

"Oh, thank The Domain." She said. "That crotchety medic left me here knowing I'm injured! Can you believe that?!"

The Autobot leader chuckled. "Indeed I can...Ratchet comm'd me to come and retrieve you."

" _That asshole_." Storm spat angrily as a dawning realization hit her. "He knew he'd be sending you so he left me here to suffer until then, didn't he?"

Optimus nodded to her with a knowing smile. "Yes."

She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Ugh...I hate him _so much_..."

The Autobot leader made his way towards her as she brooded, kneeling down before her with his back facing her, arms angled behind his back. _He was going to carry her_. Storm removed one hand from the table, placing it onto Optimus' shoulder before doing the same with other; practically collapsing onto his back as her muscles gave out.

He placed his hands gently underneath Storm's injured thighs before slowly standing, making sure she was comfortable and in no pain before making his way out of the open door to the med bay. He carried her through the long hallway and eventually up a tall flight of stairs. Storm's senses were immediately assaulted by the scent of salt water as they stepped foot onto the deck of the aircraft carrier. Everyone was waiting around on it's surface as was The Autobot leader in his alt-mode.

Optimus approached The Warden and kneeled down. The Promethean titan understood what he was asking as Storm held her arms out to him for him to pick her up. He gently plucked her from the Autobot leader's back, being mindful of her legs, and his holoform disappeared in a flurry of crackling, blue particles.

The whirring of hydraulics resounded as Optimus began transforming up to his bi-pedal mode and once he was finished, Storm held out her arms to him with a smile. He returned her expression as he approached The Warden, gently taking the Forerunner from her second-in-command's palm and cradling her close to his chest as the aircraft carrier docked at Diego Garcia.

Optimus stepped down from it's surface and onto the familiar sands of NEST as Ratchet split off from the group. He followed after Lennox and the humans in his charge with the Autobots and The Warden close behind. They soon made it to the Autobot hangar and a sense of relief washed over eveyone. _They could rest easy for now_.

The Autobot leader carefully sat down in the shade of the hangar, one leg stretched out with his other bent at the knee as Leo spoke up with a question to Storm. "Are you sure we won't get in trouble being here?...I mean, Sam said this place was classified."

"Of course you can. I don't think Lennox would have even let you see NEST if he didn't already have permission from the General." Storm answered. "You should watch out for a man named Galloway, though. He's a complete ass who likes to try and throw his weight around so don't be surprised if he starts dishing out threats."

Leo's expression shifted to one of fear hearing Storm's words and she smiled at him in reassurance. "You'll be fine, Leo. If Galloway tries _anything_ I'll put a stop to it...The way I see it, it's my way or the highway right now. _My Guardian_ was the one who destroyed the Energon harvester and saved your planet. _Galloway owes me one_."

Her words seemed to quell Leo's fears, his expression relaxing as Mikaela looked over at her. "So, what do you guys usually do for fun around here? It seems kind of...boring."

"We pull pranks mostly." Storm said with a hint of mischief. "Isn't that right, Sideswipe?"

The Autobot frontliner wheeled up to her side, smirking down at her in Optimus' palm. "You got that right, sweet-spark. And I think we're _long_ overdue for one."

"Y'know...you're right." Storm said. "How would you feel about pulling a prank right now? We can show the humans how it's done."

Sideswipe's eyes lit up upon hearing her question. "I'd _love_ to, Stormy...So, whose the lucky recipient?"

She eyes narrowed her eyes with mischief as her evil grin spread further across her face. " _Galloway_."

The silver Autobot rubbed his large, metal hands together evilly. "Oh, I am _definitely_ ready for a prank now. What are we going to do to that pain-in-the-aft liaison?"

Storm turned her attention towards Lennox and the NEST Major's expression fell. Whatever the alien pair were up to, he knew it couldn't be good. "Will, do me a favor and grab all the ink-cartridges from the printer in your office."

He narrowed his eyes at her with suspicion. "Why, exactly, do you need them?"

"Because I'm going to have Sideswipe make a bomb with them and shove it into Galloway's briefcase." She deadpanned.

Lennox rubbed a hand down his face in a mixture of disbelief and exhaustion as he spoke. "Stormy, you can't just go shoving bombs into people's belongings. That could kill them."

"As much as I would _love_ to permanently get rid of Galloway, I'm not going to kill him, Lennox." Storm said. "Besides, it's only going to be enough low-level explosives to cause the ink to explode all over him. Sideswipe is easily capable of that much."

She turned to look up at the silver Autobot and couldn't help but chuckle. His arms were crossed with a smirk and his chest was puffed out with pride. Her statement had inflated his already mountainous ego and he was reveling in the attention.

"Of course I am." Sideswipe said. "It's not the first time I've made a bomb for use in a prank.

Lennox sighed. "Alright...but if anyone one asks I'm saying you guys stole them from my office. As much as I want to see Galloway get what he deserves, I'm not getting reprimanded for your actions."

The NEST Major turned around and walked off in the direction of his office to grab the requested ink-cartridges and when he returned, handed them off to Sideswipe; placing the small objects gently into his much larger hand before once again audibly absolving himself of all responsibility in the prank.

"You think you'll be able to speak away Galloway's briefcase without me?" Storm asked the silver Autobot.

Sideswipe nodded to her with an evil grin. "Of course, Stormy. I'll make you proud."

He turned around on his wheeled feet with the ink-cartridges in hand as he proceeded onward with his mission to gather the rest of the supplies for their prank. That was when a thought struck Storm. She cupped a hand around each side of her mouth as she yelled out to him. "Don't forget the trigger switch or when he opens his briefcase nothing will happen!"

The Autobot frontliner threw his empty hand over his shoulder, waving off the Forerunner's statement before turning the corner of the hangar and disappearing. Once he was gone, Storm tilted her head to look up at Optimus. He was already looking down at her, corners of his mouth plating curled up into a smile. _This prank was going to be great_.

It didn't take long for the silver Autobot to return and Storm's eyes lit up with excitement. He wheeled up to her side and kneeled down, holding out his hand to her; palm open. A small, electronic device was nestled in the center of his palm. She looked at it with confusion before taking it from his hand. She turned it in her hold as she examined it. She recognized this device.

"Uh...Sides? Did you steal this data pad from Ratchet's med bay?" She asked.

Sideswipe averted his gaze. "I plead the fifth."

Storm couldn't help but bark out a laugh at the silver Autobot's actions. "Ratchet is going to be _soooo_ mad at you."

"Maybe." He shrugged with indifference. "But we needed a way to watch the prank go down from a safe distance."

Storm turned the device on and faltered for a split second. The language on the screen was Cybertronian and she couldn't understand it. She didn't let it stop her, however. She managed to access the base's camera system, an easy feat given the advanced hacking abilities of her Ancilla. The feed came up and she quickly began switching through the various cameras until she found the one in Galloway's office. Humans and Autobots alike gathered around her and Optimus to watch the screen.

Her excitement reached it's peak when she saw the door to Galloway's office open and the liaison sauntered in, shutting the door behind him. He began walking towards his desk and the man stopped, looking down at his briefcase with a curious expression. Storm followed his gaze, proceeding to zoom in on his briefcase. The black, square container had a piece of paper taped onto it's surface with "Open Me!" written in large, bold letters accompanied by a crudely drawn smiley face. Storm shook her head in disbelief before looking up at Sideswipe, her expression saying everything.

"Really, Sides?" She asked with a hint of amusement.

The silver Autobot shrugged his shoulders with a smirk. "What? We had to get him to open somehow, didn't we?"

Storm didn't respond. She simply turned her attention back towards the data pad in her hands. Everyone held their breath as the watched the liaison hesitantly open his briefcase. As he lifted the lid, Galloway was splattered with ink in a myriad of colors. The Autobot hangar erupted in un-controlled laughter as the man stood in his spot, arms held out to his sides; jaw slack and mouth hanging open wide in shock.

The group's laughter furthered when Galloway rushed to his office door and threw it open, walking outside as he shouted in a high-pitched voice to anyone around him demanding to know who had sabotaged his briefcase. Storm and Sideswipe shared knowing, amused looks before she directed her attention back towards the data pad in her hands. She switched through the cameras to follow Galloway as he went on a tirade through the base, laughing the entire time...until she recognized his location. He was making his way towards the Autobot hangar. _Shit_. He must have heard everyone's laughter.

Storm's hastily shoved the data pad into Sideswipe's hands. "He's coming! Hide this in your sub-space!"

Ironhide ushered everyone to be quiet asndthe silver Autobot did as he was told. He shoved the small, electronic device into his sub-space just as the angry liaison walked in, screaming to everyone within at the top his lungs. "Who did this to me?!"

"It was one of you two!" Galloway pointed irately between Sideswipe and Storm. "It's _always_ you two!"

Storm narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, feinging an expression of confusion. "Excuse me, but we _just_ returned from Egypt. So I have no idea who did that-" She pointed over at his ink stained, white shirt. "-to you. However, I can assure you that it wasn't any of us."

Her words only seemed to further the liaison's anger and his face turned a deep shade of red. "You better watch yourself, _alien_. Because I could have your treaty annulled and you shipped back to whatever you planet you came from at any moment."

Storm scoffed, narrowing her eyes at Galloway challengingly as she spoke with a deadly tone. "Go ahead and try, _human_. But don't come complaining to me when the enemies you make from doing so show up on NEST's doorstep...and let me tell you, they're _not_ the type of people you want to make angry."

Her tone and words visibly struck fear in Galloway. He began to flounder, mouth opening and closing repeatedly before he stomped off in the opposite direction from whence he came without another word. Once the liaison was out of sight, Sideswipe turned to look at her and spoke. "You scared him good, Storm. Who are these people you were talking about, though?"

"My treaty with NEST isn't the only human treaty I'm a part of." She said bluntly. "I have one with another organization known as the UNSC. They're the one's I told you about at the Hoover Dam...the one's who discovered me in battle against another alien species and offered me asylum on this planet."

"If Galloway manages to have me sent back to Requiem-" She continued. "-he'd be making more than one enemy. People that could turn NEST into an urban legend and make everyone here disappear without a trace."

The equivalent of a whistle emerged from the back of Sideswipe's vocal processor in response. "Remind me not get on your bad side. Wouldn't want these 'UNSC' people coming after me."

Storm chuckled, a soft smile spreading across her face. "You don't have to worry about them, Sides. None of you do. The UNSC is more than just a scary organization I entered into a treaty with. I know I talk about how dangerous they are all the time, which isn't an exaggeration, but they're my family...just like you guys. They wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that. _Especially not John and Thel_."

Sideswipe expelled air through his vents in a sigh of relief. "Well, that's good to know. The last thing I need is more people wanting to break me down into scrap. Galloway is bad enough."

Storm rolled her eyes. "Ugh...frag that aft-hole. He deserved more than just ink in that bomb. We should have added in some glitter for good measure."

A look of intrigue flashed over Lennox's face hearing Storm's statement. "Why glitter?" He asked.

"Because it's like a disease." She answered. "Once you get it on you, no amount of washing or cleaning will get that crap off of you or your furniture. Just ask Sam."

Everyone turned to look at the boy to find him wearing an annoyed scowl. "Storm threw a whole bag of it on me once after getting out the shower...I was finding it everywhere for months after. Between my toes, under my nails, up my nose. Even found it my underwear once. Still not sure how that happened."

Both Autobots and humans belted out in laughter hearing this as Sideswipe turned to Storm, a mischievous smirk plastered on his face. "Duly noted. I'll make sure to include glitter in our next prank."

Storm returned his smirk, her evil grin accentuated by her elongated canines; making her look all the more intimidating. " _I look forward to it_."

* * *

 **Boy, am I glad to have this chapter finished.**

 **My nasal congestion is hitting it's peak and it's giving me a pressure headache so I'm going to try and lay down and play the Turok remaster to relax. I'm not exactly sure how this chapter will be received because I'm sick and I don't know if it's good or not but all else fails I can rewrite it.**

 **Speaking of rewriting though, I'm going to be trying to go back and re-do some more of my chapters that I'm less than happy with when I'm no longer sick to correct typos, etc.**

 **Despite this, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always, thank you for reading.**

 **(Edit #1: Sorry if this chapter is a little short.)**

 **(Edit #2: Some of you may be wondering why I've chosen to keep the UNSC a secret that no one in the world of Transformers knows about save for Storm and The Warden. Not only is it because I've completely rewritten the timeline (the events of Halo technically don't happen until much, much further in the future), I'm sure you all know how Spartan II's were created in that they were abducted and the entire project was a HUGE secret and I'd imagine the UNSC would want to remain out of the public eye due to the controversy over the subject. Hence as to why I decided to make the UNSC kind of like S-7 in that it doesn't exist as far as anyone else knows.)**


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